there are many, many threads on this topic, but here are my current thoughts:

-like tp-canuck, i used to hold shanghai airlines in high regard; they were my top pick..... but 40+ incompetantly handled delay hours later, i had to bump them down a few notches
-air china is my current favorite
-exit rows provide much more legroom than 2-class F and are pretty easy to snag if you ask nicely
-sometimes i pay for business class (in otherwise full y situations), but business is only offered on ~5 flights per day
-there's no point whatsoever in buying tickets way in advance (in fact, discounts aren't even available till ~45 days out)