Having only flown in J a couple of times and F once, I am looking to book a trip next year for the two of us in F (preferably) or J, purely for leisure. What advice have people got for who to book through and/or when the best deals can be found? I am flexible on dates.
FYI, I'm currently accruing FlyingClub miles on VS AMEX (I live in the UK), but probably not useful for our next trip as it will to the Far East.
I think these days it's less about where you book and more about when you book. Most online agencies offer the same prices as going direct with the airline, it's more about being flexible about when you fly and being clever about when you book your tickets.
That said, I would never pay cash for F/J flights and would strongly recommend using points if you can accrue enough. VS fly to HKG and PVG, which admittedly is not the widest network but both are amazing cities to visit if you haven't been before. HKG is also a great base for flying to many popular SE-Asian destinations in under 2 hours.
Many consolidators and travel agents have net fares which can be hundreds if not even thousands cheaper than headline premium cabin fares. So go find one of these companies and see what bargains they can produce for you.