Also, flight choices: British Airways for a hundred bucks less, but no miles; Etihad, which is amazing and takes the same amount of time, but also no miles (no laptop either but I don't mind too much); or Turkish Airlines which is supposedly okay, gives me usable miles, and/but a 20 hour layover in Istanbul on my way home?
Feels like one of those "a wolf, sheep, and rabbit need to cross the river..." kinda riddles.