I'll be moving permanently to Melbourne in a few months from California. I'm currently Premier Executive with UA and have been for the last 3 years. I expect to fly 40-60k miles/year in the coming years, both to Europe and the US.

My questions for the experts are:

1) Is BMI a good airline to move my loyalty to? I've been happy in the past flying with them as part of *A.

2) Can i easily use other *A carriers to fly from Australia a) to Europe, b) to the US (and still collect status miles)?

3) Relative to the competition, are BMI (or code share) prices reasonable (purchased from within Australia)?

4) Will i have similar kinds of status options that i currently have with UA?

5) Do people generally have positive things to say about BMI's customer service (especially when problems need resolving)?

... or should i just stick with UA?

In terms of my desire for status, what's most important for me is a reasonable fare, a seat with at least the equivalent of economy+ legroom (which i think is standard for most non-US airlines), and a pain free experience at the airport (priority lines, boarding, etc).

Thanks!

PS, i have a brother who lives in London, so i think signing up won't be a problem.