Because I'm mostly E or PE, I'm really looking to get upgrades out of the FFP. Flying BA and crediting to AA means I would probably never get an upgrade on the LHR-SEA route which is the one I would care the most about. I don't really mind E for short flights (2-3 hours) but the transcon or transatlantic, J is really appreciated

I've seen a lot of colleagues with silver get upgraded on the SEA-LHR at the airport so I'm hoping that getting to gold would yield similar results. Plus, using Avios to upgrade is not too bad either. The net loss form a flight is pretty small - although the Heathrow fees kinda stink :\