I usually fly OW airlines and know little about *A. I have one *A account with CO, I understand that will change to a new Mileage Plus program next year. My CO account currently has 10,000 miles.

I am looking for flights to Central Asia and would like to avoid a connection in Russia as I don't care revisit the country and don't want the hassle of obtaining a Russian visa. The only OW flights to my destination are via Russia. The best connections I can find are on Turkish via IST or Lufthansa via FRA and MUC. There is a significant price difference, of about $700, Turkish is cheaper than Lufthansa. I am looking at economy class tickets.

I do have elite status with OW but from what I understand if I ask UA or CO for a status match I'd need to fly a certain amount of miles on either airline to maintain that status beyond three months. That's just not possible. So, realistically I'll be flying without any perks.

I would like to increase my account balance with CO so that I have enough points to redeem for an award. I don't fly *A frequently.

Which airline is the better option? Is Lufthansa worth the additional cost? I've only flown Lufthansa never flown Turkish. What is Turkish like? How efficient is IST for transit passengers? I've read about luggage handling problems at IST. What is the airport like at IST. If I do fly via IST I'd take one stopover, I do have an Israel stamp in my passport, have any FTers had problems entering Turkey with an Israel stamp? I will obtain a visa on arrival at IST. I have been to IST but not recently, which is why a stopover appeals. I have no desire to stopover in FRA or MUC as I've recently travelled to these places.

Any advice from *A FTers will be appreciated. Thank you.