Agree with this general statement, but am not ready to give up on them totally.

Just snagged a couple of Biz tickets to Italy on Lufthansa for next year using USAIR miles. If I can get free or cheap airline miles on any airline, I go for them. They always come in handy for something or the other. The main drawback is that the USAIR/Delta miles are not good for travel to ALL destinations, but still okay for some. Of course for accrual, one must pick and choose the type of airline miles according to the award seat availability for the desired destinations.