I was mostly referring to the upgrades you'd get on AA (the transatlantic segs).

Unfortunately I don't know enough about NYC to understand your best option. My point was more about the status...you're closing in on 2MM, I'd probably push through and get lifetime Plat. Of course, if you pick a different alliance and can quickly reach an elite level there, that's not bad either. The main objective for me would be to keep the number of non-elite segments flown as close to zero as possible.