KLM did not have the economy of scale to go it alone. As much as I prefer KLM to AF, KLM had reached a point where it's future was limited. Don't lose sight of the big picture: Delta owns 10% and China Eastern owns 10% of AF/KLM. That's a big footprint. If KLM wants access to the growth markets, it needs to stick with AF which has leverage with the investments of the other two airlines.