USing OnePass and SkyMiles for 2 PAX
 

I have 50,000 OP miles and 50,000 SM and want to arrange a RT to Europe from PDX for 2 PAX, obviously flying on the same flights. These are the last of my miles in these accounts and I don't plan to accrue more, nor to fly on DL or CO much in the future, so using the miles for upgrades is not helpful.

I have 3 questions.

1. Which SkyTeam airline provides the best international service from PDX (could be SEA instead) to Western Europe? to Eastern Europe?

2. What is the best way to coordinate these award tix? The miles are accrued on 2 different airlines; do I have to call OP, place an award ticket on hold, then call DL, and see if the same flight is available using SkyMiles? Is there an easier way to do this?

3. Which SkyTeam airline tends to have the best availability for this trip, and do they have differential availability depending on whose miles one is using?

If no responses I may post in CO, NW, or DL forums. thanks

1. These days, everybody seems to complain about economy class service on all airlines, so you're probably best off trying for a plane that has PTVs (like a 777). If alcohol is a big deal, the European airlines in Skyteam don't charge for beer or wine; the US airlines do. In any case, you'll have to connect in a hub like ATL, EWR or DTW or at least a major gateway like JFK. I would want to do this with a minimum of connections, so your domestic flight to the international gateway would be a factor. You can mix and match airlines on any given itinerrary
3. In my experience, AF has the best award availability for first and business but you want economy so I'm not sure if that applies. AFAIK, the only difference is on the "home" airline. In other words, DL's availability for AF should be the same as CO's but DL should have extra seats for DL SkyMiles members (not just elites). At least this was true when I tried to book a NW ticket on CO where CO was showing availability for a certain flight but NW wasn't.
2. You pretty much have to do it the way you've outlined it here. No easier way that I know of unless you want to pay to use WebFlyer's AwardPlanner service.