Originally Posted by
1flyer
*A is waaay more than a marketing alliance. Each participating airline must standardize its products to a significant degree. Then, a number of resources are shared (most significantly, slots). They pool orders of certain parts etc. etc.
*A has no slot sharing anywhere. MRO is also thru bi-/multilateral agreements and not *A wide.
The main integration is the endorsement free interlining between all *A partners. This is super valuable in irregs. Lounge access and extra baggage are only peripheral things. The fact that I can travel with 28 other airlines who treat me like I'm (sometimes almost) their own elite is very nice. Especially when things don't go as planned.