Originally Posted by
pbuntrock
So, the bad news and the worse news. With continuing rapid consolidation, things are not so good for US FF's. Just read the DL and UA boards and see how unhappy people are. So, US is not the brightest star in the sky. On the other hand it has better opportunities for benefits than many other US airlines, especially easier upgrades. Gaining staus on AC or OZ will give you *G but does nothing for you domestically.
How does DL and UA relate to US? Unless you're going with US = country instead of US = airline (which isn't as automatic an assumption on FT as it would be everywhere else).
And as noted by the OP, status with AC or OZ will get him access to lounges as he'll be *Gold flying internationally. LAS doesn't have a lounge anymore, but CLT certainly does.