I doubt I'll be able to make Senator on LH, so I think that one's off the list. Asiana's terms are tempting -- I'll need to look at their T&Cs. But generally it looks like it's pretty much down to BMI and SAA.

Only 38,000 miles for *G is one serious bargain, though BMI doesn't look nearly as comfortable as SAA -- no flat-bed seats in business class. Tough choice...*G or more comfortable flying?

One thing I can't seem to figure out is whether I'll earn Tier miles on SAA when I fly with Virgin. If the answer is yes than SAA is probably the way to go. I've sent an email to the Voyager office to see if this is the case since their online program guide doesn't say anything other than 'eligible flights will earn tier miles...' without defining eligibility.

This flight pattern will probably continue for at least a few years. It's pretty much inevitable that I'll spend a lot of time on SAA when I'm in Southern Africa, as they're pretty much the dominant carrier down there. Those flights tend to be pretty short though (around 1,000 - 2,000 miles) so not big earners, and I don't think I'll log enough segments to qualify using that route (at least I hope I won't -- SAA's short-haul flights are nothing to write home about).