The Airlines of SkyTeam: The Uncertainty, the Ridiculous, and the Sublime

So now ST has DL, NW, CO, AM, AF, KL, AZ, OK, KE. Unfortunately, there are many questions about AZ, which may take a while to answer.

During the next 24 months, CZ and SU should join.

Then, if there is any logic in the airline business, which there really isn't, KQ and CM should join in the next two or three years. KQ would join because of its relationship with KL, and because SA ran off with *. CM should join because CO owns a big part of it, and ST needs better Latin America coverage.

After that it's pure conjecture. There has been talk of MA, which is owned in part by H4. But, if OS buys MA, MA could easily end up in *.

There has even been speculation about VS, which has a relationship with both CO and DL. But Sir Richard probably would balk at the thought of joining one of the big three alliances, unless SQ can pressure him to join *, or if VS pulls off a merger with MD, and Sir Richard throws in his towel with *.

Additionally, there has been mention of BE, RO, CY, and KM as European affiliates, and further east rumors of RJ and AI joining ST seemed to have surfaced. Well if RJ were to join, maybe LY should also join ST. After all, LY is a DL partner, and Israel and Jordon have signed their peace treaty, and Israel and Jordon do now have diplomatic relation along with flights between the two countries.

In South America the quest to get TAM signed up seems to be continuing, and of course, there is AV or SUMMA, or whatever, which doesn't give me a good feeling. There has even been talk of AR and/or A4 entering ST.

In Asia, there is hope ever lasting that SQ or TG would leave * and join ST. But it looks like the chances of either leaving * is slim to none. So now, MH is the hot topic of discussion among the ST hopefuls.

Of course JL would be nice, but I doubt it will happen in the foreseeable future, if ever.

Now there is CI. We all know the reality of that with CZ joining. But, of course, when the two Chinas make up and become friends, maybe CI could join. There could now be a glimmer of hope since CI and CA have some kind of roundabout routing agreement. Just don't hold your breath for CI becoming a member of ST.

There is hope for AT, which has relationships with AF and DL, among others, and the EK dream, but that thought may be as real as a revival of RK, which is now a bitter historical note on the AF ledger.

Back in North America, ST needs western U. S. and Hawaiian coverage. That could be done by adding AS, QX, HP, and HA. AS/QX and HA have relationships with so many OW and ST carriers, that they just may leave well enough alone. As for HP, well, CO is probably still angry with them for going LC.

Of course AF, DL, CO, KL, and NW, presently being the ST “BIG 5”, would want to include some or all their non-ST partners, which, in part, include: JQ, UX, 9K, BR (yes, along with CI), DM, SB, WX, A5, TY, AI, IC, MF ( with LY also in ST), PS, 9W ( along with AI and IC), A6,EI (if and when they leave OW), GQ, GA, 5J, 3M, TN, and 9J,.

Then there is something that fascinates me primarily because SA has been pulled to the bright lights of *. If KQ were to join ST, or even without KQ, maybe CE would be a good affiliate to have in South Africa, especially since VS stopped feeding CE and took up with SA, leaving a big hole in CE revenue. However, that would mean KL would need to stop feeding MN, which is a BA company, and we all know BA is a founding member that now number three competitive alliance.

Therefore, when all these rumors and innuendos result in an absurd and incongruent reality, ST could include, but not be limited to, the following:
DL, NW, CO, AM, AF, KL, AZ, OK, KE, CZ, SU, KQ, CM, MA, H4, VS, DJ, TV, TG, SQ, RO, CY, KM, RJ, AI, LY, AV, JJ, KK, MH, JL, MH, CI, AT, EK, CE, HA, AS, OX, HP, JQ, UX, 9K, BR , DM, SB, WX, A5, TY, AI, IC, MF PS, 9W, A6, EI, GQ, GA, 5J, 3M, TN, 9J, AR, B4 , and a new and improved RK. Then pigs will fly, H will freeze over, airlines will never lose money again, and LH, along with UA, if there still is an UA, will decide that ST is the alliance to join.

Such is the merry-go-round world of airlines and airline alliances.