Thanks for the follow-up questions.

I should have specified that my company pays for C international and Y domestic.

For whatever reason, I find the LH website hard to understand from an earning perspective. I was under the (apparently incorrect) impression that there was only a 25% bonus for elite status (speaking in terms of RDM), and I didn't pick up the 200% EQM anywhere (are these RDM also, or just EQM?)!

I also wasn't sure how UA treats the non-TATL portion (FRA-India, for example) from an elite bonus perspective. Looking at their website, it seems like I wouldn't get anything other than the flown miles.

I don't think that I would have enough mileage in 24 months to hit the HON level with M&M, but I would have no problem with hitting SEN.

As a longtime NW/CO flyer, I have always been jealous of your famed SWU's (and your wide variety of other upgrade codes that I have yet to learn), which is why I considered UA to begin with rather than just go the obvious M&M (since it would be my primary carrier).

Domestically, I am really going to miss the near 100% complimentary upgrades of NW, and I still see other asian trips being East to West, so that would pull me off LH and back to UA. But I'm not that concerned about this aspect, since it is minor in my opinion (since the number of these flights is minimal).

I like to use my miles mostly for award tix (and I am looking forward to trying some of the *A asian carriers with famous J-Class reputations).

Suffering irregular ops on KL as a NW FF, I definitely recognize that alliance status (even as close as NW/KL are) is not the same as irregular ops on ones home carrier.

Thanks to everyone for their recommendations so far.