Being a relative newbie to the ins and outs of mileage programs, I can't really provide any sort of analysis of many of the pros and cons of Alaska (yet).

However, any sort of analysis would have to include the mutual importance of Alaska Airlines and its mileage program to British Columbians - particularly those on Vancouver Island.

A couple of examples:

• Alaska extends it's 25,000 mile credit card promotion to Canadians through a Canadian credit card carrier (we don't have a Bank of America up here)
• Alaska is the only American airline to offer Vancouver Islanders feeder flights (YYJ) to SEA as a gateway to international destinations south.