Let's be real: the main reason why you choose a frequent-flyer program is usually geography. If you live in Minneapolis-St. Paul, it makes little sense to join Western's program. If you're in Houston, you'll probably want to pass on American and United. Being in or near an airline's hub city means that, if you fly a lot, they're very likely to get most of your business. But if you're not in a hub, so you're presented a choice of carriers, who you gonna call?

Here's how I decided:

I used to split my mileage evenly between United and Continental, because (at the time) both had hubs out of the city where I lived, Denver. Now I live in central Texas, and I'm virtually surrounded by hubs. There's Delta and American at DFW, Southwest at Dallas Love, and Continental at Houston Bush. Except for international travel, the four airlines have more or less equal service to the regions I visit most frequently. How to chose, how to chose? Try these criteria (in no particular order):

Geography: Which airport of those three would I want to spend the least amount of time in? Well, if you've ever been stuck overnight in an airport (I have) you'll soon realize that none of them is a particularly great vacation spot: the food's lousy (and overpriced); the bars are crowded and understaffed (and overpriced); and the entertainment (except for people-watching) is limited (and overpriced). Of the three stated choices, though, Dallas Love loses hands down -- it's small, claustrophobic, and has very limited amenities. DFW and IAH have a wide variety of food and beverage service, plus bookstores and other shopping to while away the hours. In my decision process, that's one strike against Southwestern (the count stands A:0 - C: 0 - D:0 - S:1).

Routes: Domestically (for me at least) the four candidates are about even (you have to make this decision based on your most common destinations). Sure, Southwestern has cattle-car service and every trip of over 1000 miles seems to end up being a four-cycle trip, but we'll let them slide on that for now. Do you fly internationally? I do, about twice a year on average -- half the time to Latin America, half the time to Europe. That's a second strike against Southwestern -- no international travel. The other three are still running even (A:0 - C:0 - D:0 - S:2).

Rewards: I can get an off-peak reward on Continental for 20000 miles. Can American and Delta match that? Southwestern is the best in this respect, with a free trip after a dozen or so flights (as little as 6000 miles in Continental/Delta/American's book) -- of course, that means you have to fly cattle-car class on milk runs, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on that. The score now stands (A:1 - C:1 - D:1 - S:2).

Expiring mileage: For me, the expiration date of miles is a big factor -- Ms. scmrak and I seem to be able to get our schedules in alignment for a big vacation about once every five or six years. What happens to me if my mileage gets tossed in the dumper after threee or four years? Continental doesn't do that; American and Delta do after three years, and Southwestern's little program forces you to get all twelve stamps in one calendar year. The score now stands A:2 - C:1 - D:2 - S:3. Southwestern, you're outta here!

Amenities: Continental now has automatic upgrades for their elite-class passengers. OnePass members get preferred seating in the front of the cabin; on some flights those seats have more leg room. Perhaps the most valuable amenity is the 100% mileage credit (including bonus miles) I receive on Continental's Northwestern code-share flights. In the past I've been upgraded to business class on trans-Atlantic Northwestern flights because of my Continental elite status. Does American do this? Does Delta? Nope. So in my choice of a preferred carrier (and frequent flyer program), the final count stands: American:3 - Continental:1 - Delta:3 - Southwestern:3. My winner? Continental.

Just remember, geography is pretty likely to have the final say in your decision.

Happy flying!



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