I need to be in Japan (nrt) 12/1 - 8 and my dates are not really flexible, possibly could leave 11/30, or return 12/9. Given my DL status I called to see if the upgrade to BizE was available, and on the 1st the waitlist is closed even though there are 7 seats for sale. UA is in roughly the same condition and things look a little better on CO using miles to upgrade. The reduction in number of flights along with the slight pickup in travel has really reduced the upgrade availability on international flights it seems.

My question is what other ways can be used to get the biz seat w/o paying full biz fare? Are consolidator rates that much lower than the airline fares, and do they receive miles? Are there any trustworthy agencies anyone could recommend? Could I use UA or CO miles on any partner airlines to increase the pool of lights?

Thanks in advance for any help - runningshoes