You are right, that it is rather difficult to compare two different FF programmes. My point was that as as WP member, I felt it was unfiare for NW to allow an FD member to upgrade a cheapo transatlantic or a transpacific fare using miles, when a WP member wasn't allowed to do so. In response to your first example, I do not think NW should have to upgrade FD Golds or Silvers at the cost of it's own elites unless FD would upgrade WP memmebrs on KLM's intra-europe flights.

I do not concur with your opinion that it's cheaper to be an elite when one is based in the US. The cost of becoming an elite depends more on the kind of flying one does, than on where one lives. As a rule cost per mile is less for longer itinerairies. A Europe based flyer can fly to farway international destinations just as well as a US based traveller can. Many US based travellers used to complain that they flew every week on anythiong but the cehapest fares and still couldn't get up to the required 75,000 miles to be a PE.

As to the FD/WP question, FD gave complimenrtary lounge access to it's elites while denying it to WP elites. It's not an issue with me since I am a World Cluib Member. So it's perfectly OK for NW to deny FC upgrades to FD GEs/SE's. Although the doemstic FC upgrade on NW flights was only for PE's many GE had become used to expecting it, before the days of EUA there by denying some lowly silvers from getting the upgrades.

The rules are failry simple. You can't cherry pick the best from both FD and WP and expect to get both.