To compare the different oneworld programs...I did a pretty thorough analysis for a sample round-the-world trip, given by 3544quebec in The Buzz! some time ago...

The itinerary is...

From To Miles Class
YVR JFK 2,447 F / C / Y
JFK SCL 5,086 F / C / Y
SCL EZE 703 F / C / Y
EZE GRU 1,061 C / Y
GRU LAX 6,158 F / C / Y
LAX DFW 1,234 F / C / Y
DFW LHR 4,763 F / C / Y
LHR MCT 3,626 F / C / Y
MCT LHR 3,626 F / C / Y
LHR LCA 2,034 C / Y
LCA LHR 2,034 C / Y
LHR JNB 5,598 F / C / Y
JNB HRE 615 C / Y
HRE JNB 615 C / Y
JNB HKG 6,643 F / C / Y
HKG BOM 2,694 C / Y
BOM HKG 2,694 C / Y
HKG JKT 2,011 F / C / Y
JKT HKG 2,011 F / C / Y
HKG AKL 5,658 F / C / Y
AKL PER 3,337 F / C / Y
PER SYD 2,067 F / C / Y
SYD PPT 3,832 C / Y
PPT SYD 3,832 C / Y
SYD LAX 7,478 F / C / Y
LAX YVR 1,079 F / C / Y

Total 26 segments, 82,936 miles...a 6-continent oneworld Explorer...

I did an analysis for this itinerary, for First, Business and Economy fares...depending on the status level that you start off with...I come up with the number of miles you will get from each program (only AA, CP and CX for now)...and the status you'll get after the trip...note that in some segments, there's no F...so if you buy a F ticket, you'll get a C seat / miles / bonus...these segments are identified above and represent about 19,411 of the 82,936 miles...

A major assumption that I had in the calculation is...this RTW trip are the first flights you have in the calendar year / membership year (depending on the program)...that means, your status miles / sectors are 0 when your trip starts...and I took into account all the elite bonuses which are applicable when your status changes after you fly a certain number of miles / sectors...

You can find the results at: http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Harbor/8838/RTW.htm .

A couple observations...

With AA and CP, you will have Emerald by the end of this trip, if taken in F or C, no matter what status you start with...but with CX, you'll only have Sapphire...even if you start with Emerald (CX Diamond), you will not earn enough to re-qualify for Emerald by taking a RTW First with this itinerary...in fact, if you start from nothing (Green) with CX, after this trip, you'll just barely make Sapphire, need almost 100,000 miles more to make Emerald...

If it's an economy RTW trip and you're already an Emerald with CP (Exec Plat), you'll re-qualify with this trip...otherwise, you'll re-qualify as Sapphire...same for AA, no matter which status you start with, you'll (re-)qualify as Sapphire...but for CX, you'll just make Ruby in all cases...in the worst case, you'll need about 50,000 more miles to reach Sapphire (and an additional 120,000 miles to reach Emerald)...

About actual award miles...since there's no elite bonus in CX's program...no matter what status you have, you get the same miles...in some cases that means you're getting only 1/4 of what someone with a similar status at AA or CP are getting...e.g. you're both Emerald's, and you're taking an economy RTW...AA and CP gives 100% elite bonus, and 100% for discounted economy...CX gives no elite bonus, and 50% for discounted economy...

In most cases, the earning potential with CX is at most 60% - 70% compared to AA and CP...and, as I said, in the worst case, you're only getting 25% of what others are getting with AA and CP...

I'd be happy to do the same analysis for BA and QF...but I need some inputs on how many status/tier points these flights would give in BA's and QF's program...I think the number of miles you get from QF is the same as CX, since there's no elite bonus (is this right ?), but maybe you can get a better status with QF than CX...for BA, since there's elite bonus (for US and Global)...the number of miles you get will depend on your status...

There's so many numbers involved...pretty tedious calculations...especially those involving status bonuses and what counts towards status and what not...so if there's anything that doesn't quite make sense to you, let me know...maybe I did something wrong with my Excel file...