Originally Posted by
narvik
Ah, so she's young then. 😎
Mid-week upgrades have a better chance, yes.
You are definitely better to book PE, because if the upgrade doesn't clear, she'll still have a decent seat.
Since SFO-PEK is new (post-Covid) we don't know how full it will be, especially in its introduction month, November.
Another option is EWR-NRT/HND/or ICN and then onto PEK or PKX.
Would definitely be looking at EWR to HND / NRT and then a short hop and easy connection to PEK... We have found PZ/PN space in advance -- esepcially on Tuesdays / Wednesdays -- but it is a rare thing in advance indeed....