Thanks everyone. Yeah, it's really hard to see a reason to stick with Star Alliance if we're in Edinburgh for short-haul. E.g. 100 destinations reachable by direct flight with Ryanair and Easyjet vs something like 5 on Star Alliance. I wonder how hard it is to make those airlines more tolerable. Maybe stick with Easyjet and just get Easyjet Plus for security/better seats/less stress about baggage, plus Amex Platinum cards for lounge access? How do UK-based folks tend to access lounges if they're not flying on mainline carriers with status?