Hi everyone, I am a new member here! I have a ton of questions, but I have not had much luck finding answers on the forums. My questions are pretty loosely scattered and not often related, so I am hoping someone can possibly point me in the right direction. I am willing to do my own research, but just looking for someone to point me to the right forums/posts, etc.

My main question is #4 below, that is why I am doing all of this research. It might help to take a look at that first for context.

1. What are the best SkyTeam partners for flying US to Asia? When I say best I mean from the standpoint of:
   1. Lowest cost for flying D1 (if on Delta metal), or a similar class on partner metal?
      
   2. Best point redemption options?
      
   3. For reference, a user on Reddit tipped me off that I can transfer my AMEX MR points to Virgin Atlantic with a 30% bonus, and then I can book D1 US to EU on Virgin Atlantic for approximately 39k miles (with 30% bonus) one way. I am looking for similar types of deals, but US to Asia.
      
2. When flying Delta, are there any tips or tricks to doing an upgrade with points? As I understand it, there is no way to know if a points upgrade will be available until after you book?
   1. Is it better to book further out, or closer to departure date to get a point upgrade offer?
      
   2. Has anyone compiled any charts for points upgrades? i.e. If I want to fly from MCO to SGP is there a redemption rate that I should anticipate/aim for? 60k miles each way? 80k miles?
      
   3. I am guessing the upgrade cost will be based on the purchased fare? Do I have a better chance of getting an upgrade offer if I purchase premium select vs main cabin or C+?
      
3. Any thoughts on the "best" (cheapest) airport in the US for trips to Asia? I live in Orlando, but am finding fewer options (especially for award redemptions) than if I pick DTW or JFK as my departing airport.
   
4. The questions I am asking above are ultimately me doing research for several trips to Asia next year. I want to do my own research, but if someone wants to look at my specific trip and provide some guidance, here are those details:
   1. Planning 2-3 trips to Asia in 2022 for a family of 3. I want to go to Manila, Singapore, and Seoul, and I want to try to do D1, however I don't want to pay the approx. $8k per ticket, per trip.
      
   2. I am Platinum with Delta, and will be trying to get to Diamond in 2022. I will be fine on MQM's, but will need MQD's.
      1. Completely fine using another airline, but would prefer at least to use SkyTeam so I can get the miles/MQM/MQD's.
         
   3. I have around 275k miles, 250 AMEX MR points, and 800k Marriott points. Pretty sure I can't transfer Hilton points, but if I can, I have around 1.3M Hilton points.
      
   4. I am trying to keep my per-ticket price to $2500 for each person per trip.
      
5. Any recommendations for tools/sites that can help?
   1. I already got some great info from the r/awardtravel sub-reddit.
      
   2. Some folks recommended I check out award hacker, however I am not finding as much there as I would have hoped.
      

I realize this is a lot, but really just looking for a place to start.