Hi folks, I'm new here so forgive me if I post in the wrong place to begin with.

I must say, I thought my first trip to the States was going to be a walk in the park, until I came accross this site in my cyber travels for real travel bargains. I've now come to the conclusion that this travelling business is a work of art! After reading as much as I can on these forums so far, I've decided it might just be easier to ask the advice of those who actually know. So far, I've joined almost any FF options available to me after much reading here, however... a few questions. (It will take me a month of sundays to get through this whole forum - I only have under 3 weeks left before I leave tho)

If I explain my itinerary first, perhaps it will make it easier as far as answers to my questions are concerned.

Townsville - Brisbane Qantas
Brisbane - Auckland Air New Zealand
Auckland - San Francisco Air New Zealand

(return fare, same deal)

From San Fran - Seattle American Airlines

The flights are for 2 people and my questions are:

1. Is it best for both travellers (married) to apply for FF deals and each claim individually, or can one claim for both fares?
2. I see there are different partner companies with the various airlines - which is the best to claim flying points from? eg. Qantas Frequent Flyer points or AAadvantage (for the San Fran - Seattle flight)

I don't think Im going to have this down to a fine art before I leave, it may be a lot of trial and error, however, any advice anyone can give me specifically on this trip to the States would be very much appreciated.