1) I doubt EI has any plans to quit OW given their desires to continue to expand into key AA cities in the US, ie. DFW, MIA.

2) Give the Air France/KLM merger, further consolidation in Europe is not out of the question. BA and IB have long been rumored.

3) The Cathay/Dragonair tie up above is an exciting new rumor to toss about and would likely be an ideal situation for OW, esp. since there is talk about the upcoming need for consolidation in the Chinese market.

4) In continuing with OW's selection of premium airlines, Emirates would be the obvious choice. However, Emirates has made it clear that it has no plans for an alliance for now and would like to develop a much more comprehensive route structure on it's own. IMHO Emirates ability to develop a hub in New Zealand may play a significant role in it's alliance future and likely would make OW less appealing.

5) I think many will agree that JAL will likely be the next big member of Oneworld, but probably not for another year or two. I should also add that MX will likely be added in the next few years too (that's if AA doesn't buy them first .

6) Africa remains a big question and it's possible that by expanding into the African markets, LX might fill a niche in OW and see this as a profitable market to feed OW traffic into.

7) I used to think TAM would be a good addition to OW; however, it's just a matter of time before LAN increases their presence in the Brazilian market - likely after things get going in Argentina.

Summary, JAL and MX likely next. A Dragonair/CX tie up would be very exciting. Don't hold you breath for any Middle Eastern or African tie-ups any time soon.