ok, thx. i think i'll sign up for Miles and more for flights within europe (because austrian airlines' hub is VIE, my "home airport") and collect miles&more-points by credit card. for my longhaul flights i'll sign up for the BA programme.

in general, I'm not travelling very much, just about 4 flights(return) per year (most of them just within europe), my recent RTW trip was an exception. So, I'm quite sure that I won't get any status in the future; the more important question is, how long are unused points lasting until they are removed?