Originally Posted by
Eastbay1K
Not necessarily the airline, but definitely the Mileage Plan. For much of the MP's history, you could get to most cities in the USA with a single partner, and for many years, had the choice of 4 partners to South America. AS marketed itself heavily in this regard (i.e., the partnerships).
Well yes, but that was back before DL/AA/UA went revenue based. The landscape has changed, not for the better, with all airline frequent flyer plans. Personally since my business doesn't pay for anything other than main cabin and they are pretty cheap about that, I am happy to stay with a mileage based plan, even if it costs partners. And you can still get to most cities in the US on an award ticket via AA.