That's right, mostly within Europe, although I have had 3 Transatlantics this year. I really value the lounge access on my hops between Germany and Switzerland, and if we lose that privilege I can't really see what tangible benefits remain for FTL. It will be similar to Flying Blue Silver.

I quite agree about Lufthansa, last year I had an excellent economy flight from Newark to Frankfurt, was amazed it was so good as I have done quite a few business and 1st cl flights these last few years.

I did get into a couple of United lounges with the bmi Gold card, and I found them not so bad..better than the main airport concourse of IAD anyway.

Concerning miles redemption, I actually find those 10,000 miles offers on European flights can be a pretty good deal if you book at short notice. Otherwise, the saving can be marginal, and as we all know for connecting flights it's often cheaper to buy a revenue ticket