Meanwhile, I just read of a material real world ramification that is probably the first of many, and will affect our travel. AA and SK agreement terminates 31 May. This means no ticketed itineraries that include both airlines. And for the "no big deal naysayers," it matters not regarding alliances or lack thereof - it is common practice to have the same itinerary on multiple airlines, especially for the hard-to-reach end points. You don't really want your hard-to-reach destination (or origin) somewhere in Scandahoovia on a separate ticket if there are irrops, or which involves airports where baggage claim, rechecking, entering 3rd countries, etc. is a hassle.