Which FF Programme?

[Docklander]

Which would be the most useful FF programme for someone based in LA and mainly flying to Hawaii, New York and Aruba? I ask because I'm thinking of getting a credit card that is affiliated to one of the airlines (like most of you guys already have) and it would be good to have some advice on which airline to favor.
I realise that I could get a card like Marriott and convert to miles but I don't really use hotels and the points to miles ratio isn't the best when all you need is miles. The other option I can think of is a Starwood card as I believe it's 1pt = 1 mile so I guess I'd have a choice of airlines...any ideas? Thnks in advance!

[Carolinian]

With an airline CC, make sure you will use it enough to justify the fee, and that usually means generally wearing it out on purchases. There are some that have no fees. US Bank has had one at NW, which I think they still have, which has no fee, but only gives 1 miles per $2 spent, half the usual amount of miles, but better than nothing if you don't spend enough on a cc to justify the fee. The more common US Bank card does have a fee, but gives the usual number of miles, 1 per $1.

If you have a business, get a card in the business name, and the cc fee should be a business expense.

Look at what airlines fly the routes you are interested in and then scout around Flyer Talk for how good the availibility is on those routes.

AA has generally been good with availibility and has routes to Aruba.

Also, some airlines have recently substantially devalued their ff programs, and nobody knows whether the others will. You might want to wait a bit to see how things shake out. US, DL, and NW have significantly devalued their programs recently with new fees, and at US, the end of bonus miles for elites.

With CO, you have to remember that in buying a cheaper ticket, you need to do it on their website, or you will lose half of your miles that would otherwise be earned.