CO at one time was a very large (controlling?) shareholder of COPA...not sure if this is still the case as CO has even stated that they'd sell their some of their ownership in Co Mic if the price was right

Welcom all of them. Delta service is bad, too. Is so bad like , said Tarom.

I've flown around east Africa on Kenya Airways a bit, but my most memorable experience with them was when I arrived in Nairobi from South Africa for a Kenya Airways connection to Bujumbura. The flight was cancelled that day (certainly not for weather-related reasons!), and the next one was two days later. I mentioned to the Kenya staff that I expected they would put me up in a hotel for the two days, only to hear that they couldn't, since then they would have to put up all the passengers they stranded!

i guess you take what you can get

I may never fly on any of these four new partners (then again, I may!) but I find it refreshing that Delta's focusing on areas where coverage is currently sparse. What we really need, though, is a partner with good coverage in SE Asia, NZ, and Australia.

Any rumor that TWA, Eastern, Braniff and People's Express are joining in abstentia.

While many said it can't hurt to have new members, that is not necessarily the case. If customers in Kenya, Romania, Panama or Spain decide to take a trip to the US using their miles, it comes out of the same inventory we are already fighting for.

Cholula, how is is possible that you moderate the Travel Security forum but never heard of El Al???

Actually, I am not certain of why jimrpa mentioned them as there is no plan to bring El Al into SkyTeam.

Oddly, if El Al did join SkyTeam I would quit SkyMiles and instead sign up with the Air France program. In many ways the new program is much better for me. The big drawback is that I can't earn miles for it on El Al flights -- but I can with Delta.

I've nothing against Virgin, I've never even flow on Virgin.

But I don't how an airline like Virgin would add any opportunities for me; I suspect it might weaken existing Skyteam partners by diluting their business.

Kenya? Opens doors and opportunities for me.

I'm flying SFO-ATL-PTY on Sunday in First/BE. I'll let you know how it was...

As for Africa, you can use your DL miles on AF into West Africa, or on VS into Nigeria or South Africa (Krueger and other game parks).

I've flown Virgin through SFO, London and South Africa, and think they are one of the best, classiest airlines. Really professional, friendly staff, (and more of them), top notch IFE, (26 movies with start/stop/rew/FF, TV, games, etc.) and in first, full-flat seats, an ottoman, dividers, and an actual bar, with stools and a bartender for the folks up front to socialize. Reminds me of the pre-deregualtion days, and it sure passes the time. And soon they'll be adding "double-beds" for couples that fly together.

Screwteam keeps getting worse and worse, none of those four airlines are quality, top-notch carriers. Screwteam seems desperate to attract new members.

FYI Virgin Atlantic has never, ever had a First Class. They have a Business/First Class called "Upper Class."

Ah yes, once again, the intelligentsia of the board quickly swoop in to quell any possibility of opinions that vary from their own (gee, I've figured out how to use cute symbols and I'm not even an Intelligentsia, hailing from Wayne, PA Sorry to sully your erudite NY/Paris sensibilities with my little Philadelphia suburb parochialism)

Believe it or not, I've actually travelled beyond ATL. Yeah, I've taken a look at these "associate members", and can see some benefit in terms of feed, and specialized destinations (I suppose, for those going on African Safari, for example, Burkina Faso just won't cut it )

My rant is simply that SkyTeam has been characterized as "the 'what's leftover alliance'". Personally, I've always felt that SkyTeam has some pretty good "anchor" partners (KE, AF, CO, NW, DL) but that they should try to attract some more high-end "anchor" partners to bolster the alliance and offer some more high-end product.

Think of it this way - SkyTeam is like a car dealership. The "SkyTeam dealership" carrys Buick, Mercury, Toyota, Seat, Vauxhaull, Chery, Daewoo. All reasonable cars, good transportation for the money, etc. What SkyTeam lacks is a Lexus, BMW, Mercedes Benz, or Infiniti in the lineup. Star has Lufthansa and Singapore, oneWorld has Cathay Pacific and British Airways. We have KE and AF. I've flown Singapore, BA, KE, and AF. KE is a very nice airline, but I wouldn't put it in the same class as Singapore or Cathay. Similarly, I've always enjoyed my AF flights, yet I will be the first to admit that the BA business and first products are definitely a cut above AF (although I haven't tried AF NTC yet).

If you've been anxiously waiting for SkyTeam to accomodate you on your dream trips to Burjumbura, Lanzanrote, Timisoara, or Havana - congratulations, I'm genuinely happy for you. I personally enjoy checking out new, out-of-the-way places, and with these additions, we'll certainly be able to do so.

Oh, and by the way, please feel free to ignore those posts that so terribly offend your cosmopolitan sensibilities. Trust me, I'll somehow continue to muddle through without your "enlightenment".

Dovster - I DO owe YOU an apology. I realize you fly on El Al frequently, and I was rather unthinking when I lumped El Al in with the "unknowns" of the world. Sadly I've heard spotty things about El Al service, so I don't think they'd fit my criteria of being a worthy Singapore, Cathay, or BA competitor.