Slightly more expensive, relative to the cost of the ticket, is OK with me, just to fly UA or star alliance. An extra $700 over the cheapest of $500 for about the same service / seat, I wouldn't think twice to book the $500 fare, just that I would try to exhaust all possibilities of *A flights first. Then again, I wont take all airlines, KLM / NW is ok, not some airline which I have never heard before.