For the last 2 years I've been a happy AS MVPG after status-matching from DL GM in January '14. At the time I made the move because of reatlively frequent travel to SEA (4-6 times/year) and the ability to be price-agnostic between DL and AA for the rest of my routes. The AA/DL equivalency obviously ended at the start of '15 which pushed me to AA for anything over 500 miles and it honestly didn't hurt that much. ATL-SEA TCON upgrades were easy to get either with certs or at booking, MCE on AA was reasonable, and exit rows on DL were acceptable.

Now with a job change that won't have me in SEA more than a couple of times/year, the expectation of a drop in AA earnings on lower fare classes, and an offer for DL Platinum after 6 round trips has me wondering if I need to re-think sticking with AS for 2016?

I left DL as a GM mainly because upgrades were non-existent. My biggest concern is that things won't be much better as an ATL-based PM, and I'll probably drop back to GM after mid '17 anyway unless I make it artificially on segments (the PM after 6 round trips promo yields 12 months of status). Assuming AA earnings on AS are cut, I'd probably be earning MVPG on segments as well. From an RDM earnings standpoint have a feeling I might actually benefit from going with DL PM as in my new position I'll likely be flying a lot more shorter segments along the eastern seaboard and midwest, though I'll also be in LA probably once a quarter as well, and that's usually a cheap flight given the distance.

I would ask this in the DL forum but I'm pretty sure the only response I'd get is "if you want first, buy it". What do you guys think? Is it worth it to keep AS MVPG as my program if I'll only be on AS metal 2 times/year? I need to make a decision now as my travel for '16 is about to ramp up, I just wish I had more info on how things with AA were going to shake out.

Thanks in advance!