Originally Posted by
jinglish
Out of curiosity, what would the downsides of AS joining Oneworld be? I can see them having to change elite qualification (i.e., get rid of the lower mileage requirements on AS metal), but how much would partnerships be affected? I'd assume the Skyteam carriers would be out, but the DL relationship is falling apart anyway, but what about the independent partners like FI and EK? AA seems to maintain a decent relationship with EY.
OW and EK are not exactly best buddies. It's also likely that AS as a regional airline would have to be sponsored by someone like AA, who could easily make "cut EK" a condition of sponsorship. And having options to get to Europe that don't expose you to BA fuel scamcharges are nice (DL, AF, KL).