Given your location, Alaska might be the way to go. For years I used their credit card for miles because I flew between SNA and OAK a lot to go to bay area and used them to go to Montana fishing. Three times I was able to use amassed miles for business class seats on BA to Europe: once to Greece, once to France and once to London. This was the off or shoulder season though. They also had a companion fair deal that I could use for 1st class from LAX to DCA so the cost was no more than 2 coach seats on UA. They stopped the Oakland route and I don't get to Montana twice a year any more, so I have not been ammassing their miles. I am finding it much more difficult to use my amassed UA and Delta miles to get business class to Europe. I would go back to Alaska if they flew were I needed to go.