I'll be traveling from TX to Germany in December. I have silver medallion status on Delta and will not make Gold. Both Delta and American fly the route I need. Tickets are essentially the same price.

Question: is it wiser to fly Delta and capture the mileage bonus, or would I be smarter trying to do a status match on American and using this trip to fly a good chunk of the miles I'd need to keep that status?

All points of view appreciated!