I have already been able to allocate the expiring miles on the outbound upgrade. So from a miles perspective there should be sufficient funds for the return upgrade. Unfortuntately I loose my silver status today, so check-in upgrade is probably out of question. Spanner in the works!

My conclusion: as a leisure traveller there is not much incentive for my EK stickiness. My irregular flying pattern with DXB as a transit hub makes silver/gold status perks pretty useless (travel coordinator, eGate). Access to the business lounge is ok, but the experience is nothing when compared to First Class. Also, I need the upgrade mechanisms when I want to fly (as opposed to flying when upgrades are available - which I can't check using normal EK planning tools).

As my main focus for leisure travelling is on a memorable trip, in the future I will only look to EK when competitive F class fares exist. Damn shame. Love flying them though...