Back in the 1990s, when I first started flying with them, the experience was awful, even to a young kid. Check-in was a nightmare, service sucked and flying was a nightmare. People at the time tended to regard the airline was an unprofitable, unsafe carrier and until now, the airline has been notorious for its awful service and delays that it's the butt of so many jokes.
I remember my first non-MS flight in 1999, when I flew BA. I was amazed that an aircraft could be so shiny and clean, and that IFAs didn't have to be nasty.
A few years ago, a new company head was appointed who began turning around the aircraft and improving services. Services became more punctual, airplanes became cleaner, service became cleaner. They became less 'stingy' (for example, if you didn't eat on the plane they could wrap it up for you) etc. These small things suggested that there had been an improvement.
On top of that, a new Terminal 3 was being built at CAI that would be A380-compatible while the current Terminal 1 underwent extensive renovations.
Simultaneously, the airline began code-sharing with A* founding airline LH. Then, in October 2007, MS was invited to join the *A.
OK, the airline has improved. It's no longer an obsolete African airline but a profitable, well-run airline. But does this merit them joining the Alliance?
They'll be in the same league as Singapore Airlines, Thai and Lufthansa. But isn't this a little premature? The airline isn't in the league of the other Arab carriers (Etihad, Qatar, Emirates and even Gulf Air). The airline still needs a lot of work. Terminal facilities leave a lot to be desired. The current logo sux.
IFAs need to improve their skills (and remove that horrendous make-up).
So what's the rush? Why doesn't MS wait another few years until it meets all its goals?