The question is not whether the OP wants to switch from UA to DL. Skyteam's presence in Asia isn't terrible, with both KE and NW offering quite a few intra-asia flights and KL/AF serving most major cities in the region. Therefore Skyteam Elite Plus is useful in Asia as it offers, as a minimum, lounge access wherever you're going (as long as you're flying internationally).
Originally Posted by Frohling1
In my opinion, the best perk of UA 1k is a system wide upgrade that I have had great sucesss in using. Does any SkyTeam carrier offer something similar and if so, will they match based on my other carrier status?
Re upgrades on European Skyteam carriers: AZ don't give them out unless eco is full. AF's official policy is the same but, according to what F+ members on FT say, they are more likely to give free op-ups to Rouges. It used to be possible to upgrade with miles on KL but their FFP is in a state of flux. OK offer unlimited systemwide upgrades (space-available, only confirmed at checkin or gate) to golds, but they of course don't serve many US cities and it is likely that you will have problems getting an OK code for flts originating in a non-hub US city and going anywhere but PRG.
AFAIK, no Skyteam airline (certainly no European one) offers a status-match programme or status challenge but, as slawecki said, you don't need that many miles to get elite status with AF or OK.