Originally Posted by
newyorkgeorge
Some things are basic. Y on all carriers sucks, MCE/E+ marginally suck less. FF programs are all moving towards rewarding the big buck spenders. Award redemption has been de-valued. In reality there are no stark differences. DL doesn't serve surf and turf in F while AA serves chicken. As noted go with the carrier that bests serves your needs. In you are MIA based unless you want connections its AA.
+1
It also depends on how much you fly and where,
I have 200K this year on AA, 25 on AS, 15 on DL and some on UA.
In F, AA and DL usually give me PDB and a selection of chips. AS doesn't give PDB but gives a cheese or hummus platter.
On AA, if I buy a $400 ticket, it gives my 4400 miles, on DL, if gives me 2000 miles. On AS, it is mileage based. On AA, I get upgraded for free 90 percent of the time. On DL and AS, I need to pay.
In general, Sky Pesos can be very expensive. For example, I looked at a last minute flight this weekend for a 600 mile flight on an empty plane. DL:wanted 50,000 skymiles! AA wanted 25,000. (And we complain about the lack of saavers ....)
Then there's the Admirals Club in MIA and Flagship Lounge when going international.