troyb,

How does that work? It seems a bit strange to have Alaska Airways as my mileage program if I'm not ever planning on flying one of their routes.

I would book most of my flights on the partner airlines but use my Alaska FF number while booking? Then when I accumulate miles I can spend them on Continental, Delta, American, NWA, Air France, Cathay, etc?

Is there any value in getting MVP status if I never fly Alaska proper? - I think it's possible that I will get over 25000 miles in a year, so should I shoot for Alaska status or on one of the other carriers that I might occasionally be flying?

Thanks!