Thank you all for the great and informative replies. It is great to see such a supportive online community. I have been a miles and points junkie for a while and seems like I am going to be spending some quality times here...

I agree with many posts that suggested NW as the way to go. I already have a significant history with them (not that it counts for anything) - and I like their service. Midwest flights counts towards NW's elite levels - and for my Asia/India flights - NW has a great schedule. Further - ORD is not the best place for a connection and I would rather connect through DTW (as long as it is the EM terminal) and MSP. So NW it is for me.

Thanks again - I can only hope to be as helpful for someone else as you all have been to me.