Originally Posted by irishguy28

..Some other things to consider:

Emirates is NOT in any of the alliances; however, they have a deep relationship - just renewed for another 5 years but no guarantee it will last indefinitely - with Qantas. Therefore, if you were to choose Qantas as your oneworld member frequent flyer programme, you could also earn miles when flying Emirates in that programme.

Etihad is not a member of an alliance (though perhaps that may change in the future). They have a number of partnerships with the likes of Alitalia (in Skyteam, but probably not for long, as Alitalia is in the process of being sold) so, at least right now, having Alitalia as your Skyteam programme would also allow you to place your Etihad flights in that programme.

Jet Airways, that you mentioned, is not in any of the main alliances, but it has a relationship with both Delta and Air France-KLM, such that flying on Jet Airways should allow you to collect miles in either Delta or Air France-KLM's frequent flyer programmes. (Jet and Etihad also have a partnership - for now - so you can earn miles in either's programme, too, when flying on either airline)..