Originally Posted by
czhang
As for the AS comment, I'm not so sure if that's a great option as I don't see myself travel domestic much or even ever flying AS themselves in the future.
Just because you don't plan on flying AS doesn't mean you can't use their program!
AS has a wide variety of partners that crosses alliances, including a couple who are fairly strong in Asia (DL/NW, KE, CX, and AA, BA, and KL when you need them). Check out the list of partners at
http://www.alaskaair.com/as/mileagep...rs_Airline.asp and check the
award chart to make sure the routings you need are offered.
One downside of AS is that you can't (yet) combine multiple partners on a single itinerary (unless you book two separate awards). Not sure how much that would affect you, though.