Hi everyone -

I've been a member of FT for a while, but not a very active one I must admit. Occasionally I will read a hot thread if it tweaks my interest. However, I thought this was the best place in the world to get some opinions on which FF program might work best for me. I am now a platinum on Delta. I came up a few miles short of diamond this year but will most likely be diamond in 2012 if I stick with them through 2011, if for no other reason than the carry over miles, which I love about the delta program. I just want to make sure that I'm in the right program.

My home airport is Tucson AZ (TUS). I travel frequently to Asia (Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul, others) and some to Europe (maybe 2 trip per year), plus domestic travel. My domestic is mostly to the east coast (NYC most often) on Delta and when I go to the west coast it's typically on SW as they just have better options out of TUS than Delta does. I often fly SW to LAX then transfer to Delta to fly to Asia. I collect a freebie on SW about once per year.

I work for a start up, so every penny counts at this point, and as a result it's all coach tickets, as cheap as I can fly mostly. Of course there is occasionally the last minute trip that ends up with a M or better fare, so I use about half of my system wide upgrades I get from Delta. I almost always get upgraded domestically. Delta's Asian routes are very popular, so even when we start making some money (looks like it will happen this year) being able to afford M fares does not guarantee an upgrade using the system wide upgrade certificates. I do like Delta's inter-Asia route availability since the NW merger. Of course collecting miles is important to me, so bonus miles etc. are meaningful. But really I just want the best chance to travel comfortably, which means the best shot at upgrades. I'm just looking for some input into what you all think. I can not imagine there is a better place to ask this question than right here on FT.

I hope to hear from some of you. And I hope everyone has a safe and prosperous New Year. Travel safely!

Mike