Why should I choose Continental OnePass?
 

YARFA -- Yet another request for advice.

The situation is I have 300K Amex CANADA MR points, that I need to unload to either Continental or Delta (or a mix) by December 14th. I've posted a request for advice in MilesBuzz, but it occurs to me that the really hardcore CO people (i.e. the ones who really understand the program) are here. So go nuts -- sell me on Continental OnePass.

My situation, in brief:

1. I have no elite status on CO, and don't ever expect to have
2. I might occaisionally use points to upgrade domestic flights. This would only be on the rare occaision when the Star Alliance (my preferred option, by default) can't get me where I'm going in J or F class.
3. My preferred use of the points is a once a year type 2-3 week vacation to unusual/adventure type destinations, in the most decadent class of service available. If there was a class of service higher than, say, BA First, where I could have me leftovers sent down to the First Class cabin, that would be the service I'd opt for.

Any and all replies gratefully received.

Fond as I am of OnePass, given your interest in first-class adventure travel, I would steer you to DL.

The main attraction of OnePass is the great domestic upgrade policy for elites, which isn't really relevant to you. (And things may be getting a little less great for elites next year owing to our growing ranks and shrinking CO capacity.)

International service on CO metal is sans F service (a very nice business class, but not a patch on BA or CX F). And confirming award seats in CO premium cabins is difficult and frustrating for all but Golds and Platinums.

CO's international partnerships are pretty thin. You can redeem OP miles for QF business class tickets if you are patient and flexible on dates and routings; QF F class is by all accounts impossible to get.
There is also Alitalia and VS (bookable as a CO codeshare from SFO, EWR and BOS to LON). VS Upper Class may be attractive to you, but the codeshares don't extend beyond London to other VS cities.

DL at least offers SkyTeam.

I would assume that you're looking to burn your miles on a ticket, not an upgrade. If so, the fact that getting an intl. upgrade on either CO or DL is a real hassle, or that it is relatively easy on AA, would probably not be of much consequence for you.

If you really want the ultimate, go for the Air France Concorde. But, with only 300K miles in your MR bank, be prepared to travel alone. CO will sell you an AF Concorde ticket for 200K miles.

Now I've heard that AF will be ending its alliance with CO, since they're now part of DL's SkyTeam Alliance. So, before you dump your MR miles into either the CO or DL program, call both airlines and find out availability first, as once you've dumped your miles into a specific program, you can't reverse the process.