I am a Delta Platinum Medallion who flies quite a bit domestically in the US but rarely has occasion to fly international.

I will be flying into Europe and then also flying within Europe on an upcoming business trip. The Delta flights to/from Europe are easy but there don't appear to be any Delta or Delta code share flights within Europe.

I was planning on making reservations directly with KLM or Air France for the flights within Europe but I have a couple of questions.

• Should I just sign up with an account directly on KLM/AF and book that way or is there a better way?

• Does my Skyteam Elite Plus (Delta Platinum Medallion) status mean anything on a KLM flight that is not flying to the US and does not have a Delta flight number?

• Is there a way for my current status with Skyteam to get matched in the Flying Blue program or do I basically start off at the bottom tier with KLM when flying within Europe?

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.