I have 85k miles on US Air and 85k miles on United. 100k miles on Continental, 100k miles on AA and 70k Starwood points. How can I put these all together and get me 2 business class seats from NYC to Male/Maldives ??? There has to be an answer to this puzzle. It seems as though Emirates is partners with CO and United, but info is scarce. If not on the miles we have, can you suggest the cheapest alternative for building up to enough on one of their partners? Or, advice on how to buy a cheap economy class and upgrade using mileage? Ideally, I'd like to stopover in Dubai en route...doesn't matter in which direction. Biz class is like $10k, which we can't afford. PLEASE HELP! Thanks in advance!