Can "OW" even really negotiate on behalf of its "members" these sorts of deals? The claim doesn't sound all that credible, given the very real limitations inherent to the airline "alliances" in terms of anti-trust limitations. A lot more credibility would be gained if they actually named a OW "member" that they were negotiating with, as opposed to the implied claim that they were negotiating collectively with an organization that may very well be prohibited from collective negotiation in such matters.

Is there any historic precedent for any other FFP program to change alliances without its traditional alliance sponsor/partner going along with?