Hey everyone, wondering if I could get some thoughts on whether switching my flying to AF/KLM would be worth it for the FB gold/maybe platinum status

Background:

• Currently in YYZ but moving to MAD in the near future
• Will need to fly MAD-YYZ roundtrip at least 6 times per year
  • Will be paying myself so will be getting basic economy ticket
  • I do have slight flexibility on dates
  • My preference for the YYZ-MAD leg is to arrive in MAD as early as possible but before 13:00 is ok
  • Sometimes will need 1 checked bag, sometimes just carry-on will do
• Will also fly around Europe for vacation several times a year
  • Prefer the cheapest flight so most likely non-alliance budget carriers. Iberia/TAP can also be cheap. Air Europa can be cheap but poor route network. KL/AF seem to be consistently priced higher so I probably wouldn't take them often within Europe
• For long distance vacations to Asia for example I will redeem points and fly business
• I have access to Canadian/US credit cards so I have unlimited Priority Pass lounge visits (the lounges in MAD are decent and YYZ ones are ok. Connections in the US/YUL may leave me with no lounge). I can maintain Air Canada 25k status (low tier silver) just through that if I wanted. I can also earn extra XP for KLM/AF through this. I see there is a Spanish credit card which grants Iberia silver status through spending so that could also be an option to further explore once I move.

I looked into qualifying for status on these airlines and it seems that on Flying Blue I would be able to reach Gold every year just with 6x MAD-YYZ. With some credit card stuff and occasional premium economy upgrade/sustainable fuel purchase I could probably get to Platinum as well. On the other hand, other airlines I would barely be able to hit silver if anything at all.

That made me wonder, do current elites feel Gold/Platinum benefits are worth switching to KL/AF/DL for?

Benefits of FB Gold/Platinum for me:

• Free checked bag if needed
• Skyteam lounges in addition to priority pass lounges
• Skypriority
• Free extra legroom/comfort seat/seat selection in general
• Priority phone line is always nice

Benefits of being a free agent:

• Right now the prices of all 3 alliances are within €70 of each other but in the past I've noticed KL/AF may cost €100-200 more than the cheapest option depending on the time
• Air Canada has the seasonal MAD-YYZ direct flight so if priced similarly (it currently is but likely due to decreased Europe-US demand, usually this is more expensive) this would be most convenient vs other options. I also have early boarding/free checked bags/free seat selection (although not comfort seats) with Air Canada
• KL/AF flights seem to arrive in Madrid between 11:00-13:00, whereas IB/AA/AC/UA have earlier flights arriving before 08:00 which would be a bit better although not a dealbreaker. DL also has early flights into Madrid but DL often costs more and it seems you don't get the full suite of FB benefits

Thanks for your thoughts!