AA is the call..... The 4 roundtrips upgrades on ANY fare, is a great deal for international travel. You can check for SPACE prior to purchase and instantly secure. Or buy more expensive UA fares and HOPE to use a GPU.... I was a 1k for the last 2 years, but let it go this year and moved to AA. If you are a 1k, just get a challenge going with AA/US its a no brainer. AA is good about clearing domestic free upgrades. very happy with the move and I'm based in PHX.

UA is too crowded but that will start to drop a little as the spend requirements kick in. make the move sooner rather than later.