Originally Posted by
BenA
I value onboard and in-airport perks much more than mileage redemptions; I tend to not make decisions based on mileage earning, and then I'm pleasantly surprised when my balance grows and I can get some free stuff.
Yeah, if lounge access and upgrades are your deal, I could see how DL Diamond in SEA > MVPG75K in SEA.
Personally, outside of a very few destination lounges (CX in HKG, LH in FRA), I would just as soon get to the airport and walk up to my gate as my boarding group is going on (I can do this fairly well out of SEA or my frequent airports like LAS), and my most frequent flights (1-3 hours) are ones where I am relatively indifferent to coach or first (I've SDC'ed myself out of first for a better flight time on AS so many times I've lost count). Most of my overseas flights are award J or award F (where a brace of AS miles comes in handy), so there's the lounge access (or I'm on LCCs for short flights where I just don't care). But I can see where you are coming from there.