It's hard to imagine bmi (note exciting lack of capitalization! how hip! how cool!) would be too thrilled about Virgin entering Star Alliance, especially now that they compete (albeit indirectly) on potentially lucrative transatlantic routes.

That said, I'd love to see it happen.

You cant call one flight to ord and iad competition. no one will be able to fly any routes undill bermuda is sorted out anyway. that and ua would operate on the same routes - Id hate to see a situatio like ba/aa where you can only earn on your own carrier

Jon

Remember that SQ owns 49 percent of Virgin. If VS joins ANY alliance, it would be Star, unless SQ decides to bolt as well (entirely possible).

British Midland hardly competes with Virgin. The main concern, as pointed out, would be for UA. However, this hasn't prevented UA from hooking up with NH, where both operate on many of the same US-Japan routes.

That said, wouldn't a UA/VS alliance raise the hackles of the same people who destroyed AA/BA (Richard B. aside, of course...)?

If the SK/BU merge goes through the norweigan airline BU could be the next one to join *

Look for Air China to be next.

a friend told me today that turkish airlines has a bar(like virgin) onboard. That would be fun in *A wouldn't it??