Kenya ditched Flying Blue last year to start its very own FFP, Asante. The airline very actively recruited new members, welcoming just about every man and his dog aboard, so long as thet could send a screenshot of a shiny card: they might still be doing so.

The downside is that Sky Team can be dysfunctional outside its core, with member airlines being left to establish bilateral agreements among themselves. New programmes such as Volare (ITA, ex-Alitalia) and Asante can be pretty isolated.