Originally Posted by pinniped

I'm still trying to figure out the basics of the scenario....an expensive, long-haul destination where United is the *only* carrier flying there? If OP originates from near PHL, she'd theoretically have access to all three alliances out of PHL/EWR/JFK and could throw 1 trip to another airline and avoid *any* potential CoC issues. You'd collect miles on all trips, earn elite status on at least one carrier, and maybe even set it up so all you "lost" was an occasional change fee on a ticket with a distant-future return date.