Wow, so many replies in such a short period of time! Thanks! I might need the EQMs to help me requalify, but I might not. Work travel is on iAir, UA, AA, WN, etc, so it's hard to say whether I'll need the EQMs. My mileage bank pretty much hovers in the 150k range. I'd like to save up for 2 Asia/Australia C or F awards, but like a lot of others, I'm tempted to burn them now too.

The A fare I checked is non-refundable. So if there is an equipment change, then I might get stuck on a 757 or 319 or 320. (and yes, I am looking at the 5:30pm flight, with a return through ORD or DEN, as the 7:45am LAX-IAD 777 is a bit too early) And yes, I agree that the widebodies are very unreliable between IAD and the west coast, hence my concern about booking it. If there were a way to guarantee a suite (or even p.s. F) for the same price, I'd be all over it.