But the OP did mention that the flights would be in economy, even the long haul ones, with a hope to upgrade them. So this brings up the lack of premium economy on AY. In the past few months i've flown HEL-LHR-HKG-KUL and HEL-MUC-DEL both in premium economy (CX and LH) rather than take economy class flights on AY. I have made the decision that i'd prefer a few hours extra travel time but travel in comfort rather than long haul economy. Out of the four long haul segments, one was an op-up to business class (LH) which is quite common with premium economy. For the CX flight it was T3->T3 and the showers and dining room of the CX first class lounge. The LH premium economy ticket was cheaper than economy and the CX ticket was 300e more than economy.
If you are travelling east in business class then AY is quicker and quite acceptable (although I would always choose JAL if travelling to Tokyo) but in economy there are other factors that mean you might put up with extra travel time in exchange for a more comfortable trip.