Originally Posted by garykung

Make this simple - book everyone in a single reservation, even it means you have to pay cash for all.

Airlines handle pax based on the reservation. So 5 in 1 reservation is handled different from 4+1 in 2 reservations (Note - there is no mechanism to link reservations). So when there is a problem, 5 in 1 reservation will generally be handled altogether, but not 4+1 in 2.

Award travel is generally not handled well during IRROPS (as it is technically a non-rev ticket). In short - you are exploiting a risk that may or may not happen. Given that you don't have enough anyway. Don't bother and make thing simple for yourself.

In term of whether it is worth the extra cost for better seats, this is straightly a personal preference. FWIW - it is a 10-hour flight. So keep in mind that the torture lasts 10 hours as well. (If I were you, I would choose a route with stops to break down the travel).