Thanks for that comprehensive review. I already know to avoid LH, which is why I'm looking around... most of my *A flying the next couple of years will be on LH Group airlines (LX mostly).
I guess at the end of the day, UA is not a terrible option since I'm US based. Miles don't expire and redemption is decent and I can transfer/top up with Chase points. I just have to plan to do some weekend short hops to get my 4 segments in before I reach Silver.
I will also give TK another look and compare. Need to study the redemption chart.