Bruceb, thanks for your comments..I'm still not 100% convinced, but I'll chew on it for now!
(BTW, my comment about UA's losses was intended to be a dig at the 'everything-UA-is-wonderful' brigade..I should have put a wink on it!)

May I make a few inquiries about international upgrades while I'm at it?
1) upgrades are apparently bookable from 355 days in advance..will anything be done to ensure that people (like me) who normally book close to flight time won't be disadvantaged by this?
2) will elites have have any actual or de-facto preference for upgrades?