Hi all. Haven't traveled in awhile but now starting again regularly and need advise on whether to focus on the QF or AA program. Here's my info:

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Decent FF redemption for economy intl flights, priority services, lounge access.

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Currently flying 6 round trips per year IAH-PER. All business class. Some miscellaneous US travel but nothing significant.

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Business, corporate discount fare (such as I on QF)

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Work travel to PER on business is limited to corporate alliances. Currently QF, Qatar, or Emirates. Latest almost all trips have been QF, with Qatar as a distant second.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
For QF - IAH-DFW-SYD-PER, for Emirates, IAH-DXB-PER, for Qatar, IAH-DOH-PER

(6) What is your home airport?
IAH

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in OW or other airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
QF gold (80k pts), AA no status (40k pts). *A Gold (UA 1 MM).

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Prefer Qantas routing to PER due to less air time.

The corporate alliance always buys the QF flights as QF ticket stock, although the IAH-DFW leg is on AA metal. For US flights, being at IAH for home airport, I favor UA or Southwest for US trips, so I hardly ever fly AA directly.

My understanding is that since my tickets on QF are bought through QF, the AA metal IAH-DFW won't count towards my four segments for AA status. Is that correct?

On QF, I will easily make platinum and may even make it to platinum one, although there isn't a difference in point accumulation, etc.

My goal is to accumulate miles for international leisure travel, probably back to Australia or Asia.

If I'm correct that I can't get AA status, do the lower redemption rates on AA outweigh the lower status multipliers and lack of access to additional FF ticket inventory?

Thanks...