Honestly you would have ended up going MAN-JFK-MIA-GIG or similar, on a terrible US airline most likely (Amurikan) ... I think you did well.

Indeed, I was thinking for awhile about going via the US (never been there) but the thought of being on an old 767, probably without IFE made me rethink it.

Booking these weird routings: Being a young academic, going on holiday to farflung destinations is quite expensive so on a work trip, I always try to fly with a long layover so I have a day to do sightseeing. In this case, the only interesting routings were via the US or weirdly enough via Dubai. Probably it won't be the most exciting place in the world but I thought, why not.

I will earn 14,250 Skywards Miles 14,250 Tier Miles for the whole trip.

But the person simply stated that there was experience of doing such a journey - that someone has done a 10000 miles journey where there was a need is not a reason for doing it other times

No comment about whether people can survive it

I would have liked to fly with BA but that flight would cost almost double of the Emirates one. I just could not justify it for myself (although it was company money) to spend £2000 on an economy flight.

I am far from a "young academic", but I do the same thing. I enjoy flying, so extra miles are a bonus for me, not a disadvantage. I book tickets based on (after price) layover location, aircraft type, and airline.I'll purposely plan a long layover at times for a "free" visit to a city I wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to visit.

You were travelling for business purposes - do you not value 20+ hours of your time?

Yeah, it's me. So you know that funny routing I chose? My flight to Dubai got cancelled. Managed to get a rerouting with KLM so I will arrive only 5 hours later. I will make another thread about the cancellation because that is a story of long waits. The good thing was that I was in a middle seat on the a380 and seated between two relatively big persons which was not very comfortable. Now I am at an aisle seat. Lesson learned, I shall not book ridiculous routings anymore :-)

Given it is an EU departure, the potential EUR600 could help cushion the blow of a shorter routing in a better positioned seat

I don't think your "ridiculous routing" has anything to do with the mayhem you experienced! ;) If you would have been flying to say Sydney, traveling on Emirates would have been perfectly reasonable, yet you would have had exactly the same experience.