Originally Posted by Weatherboy
Regardless of what happens with US/DL, and whoever else for that matter, do these alliances really make for that much of a difference on CO?
To me, as long as there's some type of reciprocal perks for specific carriers, regardless of which speicifc alliance they belong to, the concept of SkyTeam and others really baffles me. There's so many restrictions and differences between the SkyTeam members (just take a look at the CO reward chart or the lounge policy(s)) that to me being in one alliance or another really makes no difference.
I disagree. The alliances really open up many more options for travel, anywhere. While there are indeed nuances (like the lounge policy as you mention), having more carriers and routes on which to earn and redeem miles is always a plus.
And aside from the revenue the alliance brings in, from an administrative angle, I'm sure it's also easier on the carrier to setup and manage one agreement with an alliance than with a dozen or so independent carriers. I'm not sure how these things are done, but I'm sure there's some sort of standardized cost structure when entering an alliance (e.g., carriers crediting CO miles have to pay CO $X per mile; and carriers redeeming on CO have to pay CO $Y per mile and vice versa) that all alliance members have to agree to.