I've been with Delta/SkyTeam for a long time...but now that I live in Paris, I'm thinking its time for a change. Sometimes the best fares are on AF/KL, but more often I find BA/LH and FI with lower fares for where I need to travel.

Status perks aren't as important to me as the ability to use my rewards to get back to the states. With Delta's unreasonable international origination fee ($400+ per reward from Europe) I've decided that I can do without them. Alaska MP looks appealing because of the potential to earn miles with so many varying partners...but I'm curious as to how easy/expensive it is to book rewards from Europe back to the US. Thanks for any insight.

And happy Thanksgiving! So sad that this is just another Thursday for the French.