Originally Posted by MisterMark

I went from no status to platinum status on CO in the last 5 months, all from 15 trans-con flights I booked during seat sales at CO and NW. I work in SF and my fiancee is in Toronto.
Answer: yes, NW Silver gives you basically the same benefits on CO - 50% miles bonus and a shot at an upgrade. Make sure that you ask to get on the upgrade list when you get to the airport, though, because CO might not know you are an NW elite. Booking on nwa.com would be better, because that way NW tells CO that you are elite, and your upgrade will be processed automatically, I believe.