Relocating from EU to Aus... which FF program should I target?

Hi all,

I will relocate to Sydney, Australia, after having been EU-based for the past few years. I have had gold status on Air France / KLM Flying Blue (SkyTeam) for the past 3 years.

What's the best program to target for when I am based in Australia?

Qantas? Or Virgin Australia?

Are there ever any offers that run for switching status between programs that might be relevant here (e.g. allowing me to switch my AF gold to some Qantas status)?

Might the new agreement between Qantas and Air France provide anything that helps here; e.g. by allowing me to keep on AF and accrue (and use) AF points on even that Qantas leg between Singapore/HK and Sydney?

A little tangentially: I took a paid business class from Europe to Colombo on Etihad/Alitalia... As it was an Alitalia ticket (even though Etihad metal) I have a choice about where to credit to... I could credit it to Etihad (where I have some points). Or Air France. Or maybe Virgin Australia (not sure about that one, but maybe)? Any suggestions, given the long term relocation plans?

Thanks in advance!

Neo.

In regards to your final point and crediting the EY/AZ flight, I would try credit to VA. You're not supposed to earn points/credits, but I have been on an EY ticket on AZ metal, submitted a claim, and still received the points (I have read that others have too).

Thank you jeppetto367