thanks for the inputs.

it seems that DL is realistically the most reasonable option for me, all considered.

I travel primarily domestically, mainly Central and East US (very seldom West). When I travel for business I could pick a 1-stop option, which would make other airlines a viable option, but when I travel for leisure my wife really wants the non-stop option if available, so Delta has a definite advantage here.

I managed to get 2010 GM status this past year with a couple of international trips, and I have to say that I did like being able to arrive directly to MSP from either AMS or CDG - I think connecting in a European airport and arriving stateside directly at your final destination is a plus.

I haven't had a really bad experience with DL yet (should probably shut up), so what is scaring me is all the talk about unusability of skymiles with Delta. I recently scored four 25k award tickets on the same flight, so my experience is actually good, but this is for a trip in May so pretty far in advance.