slawecki, Neither NW nor DL counts Elite Bonus towards Elite Status. Kindly update your spreadsheet. Only flown miles with multiplier based on fares are counted towards Elite Status on NW, CO and DL.

Aisle Seat H, regarding your original post in relating to comp match, it really depends on who you plan to fly the most, then choose that one. From what I know, AF will NOT match status for sure while DL, NW and CO should (only up to Gold from what I know) but they may offer you a challenge, e.g. flying 15-20K miles within 60 days, then you will get Gold Status. Contact respective airlines directly to find out more details. I know someone who needed to fly 20K in 3 months and get Gold status out of Delta.

The most controversial question regarding which program is the best, I don't think anyone here could or should answer you that question unless it is strictly their own personal opinion, and I don't believe there is such a thing as the BEST program because each program within SkyTeam is quite unique of its own. All really depends on who you fly the most, how you fly (routing and class of service wise) and what kind of benefits you are looking for. Are you looking for US domestic upgrades? Are you looking for the easiest way to achieve Elite Plus Status? Are you looking for a club membership or Upgrade Coupons upon reaching Platinum (75K miles)?...etc You can search elite benefits info on each of the airline's forum to find out, or just go directly to their own website to see the summary then decide which one meets your needs the most.