CO's Skyteam contract requires that they wait until the NW/DL merger is approved, and then they must give 9 months notice before leaving. The earliest they could conceivably leave is around July 2009 (NW/DL shareholder vote is scheduled for late Sep). However, I'm guessing the regulators won't approve until near the end of the year, so a fall 2009 departure is more likely.
Very helpful info. Thanks for posting.