Unless you're one of the rare individuals whose travel patterns are met equally well by both airlines, you're putting the cart before the horse. Absent FF programs, considering such mundane things as where they fly to, when, how often, and for how many $$, which would you tend to fly more? Unless that's a coin-toss or the FF programs are worlds apart, which they're not, base your decision on that. Then, that airline's FF program is what it is. Use FT and other resources to figure out how to use it to best advantage (though not necessarily AAdvantage).