Originally Posted by
angetenar
Some folks on airliners.net are reporting that Emirates is also terminating its codeshare agreement with JetBlue
That was my first thought, and to a lesser extent, Alaska.
Yes, there's the usual disclaimer that airlines still do partner with carriers outside their alliances (DL owns half of VS, and they're JV partners, but VS is NOT in Skyteam for example). However, I have to think EK isn't going to look kindly at B6 cozying up to AA, which flows passengers onto EK's arch-nemesis through Doha. EK's JFK operation isn't going anywhere regardless.
Also I think Russia plays into UA's needs here more than a little bit. We are probably looking at no Russian overflights now extending years rather than months. What better way to get your passengers to the Indian subcontinent than with your new partner via their massive middle-east hub?