Most posts are too LCC/UK/EI-centric. If EU stops Italy giving AZ another "last" subsidy (and AZ's lucky suitor is about to be announced - where LH seems to be competing with its (Air One) self), so that Europe's residual parastatals face up to the end of Protection: then we are ready for the marketing alliances to move towards operations integration. From just painting up (?10%) of the joint fleet as Star Alliance, we will move towards the 1989 notion of Royal Ameripore Airlines (L.Gialloreto, Strategic Airline Management). It is plain daft for purchasing to continue to be fragmented: $100 fuel is still just, what, 25% of all procurement? Daft for long haul capacity to sit idle at, say LHR all day. If it takes a strike to change crew scope, then one patsy will take it for the team, so that, say BA can take a 5hr. LHR rotation on a lull OneWorld 747, for QF then to take it home. "Intelligent Misuse" of all ware, hard and warm, to improve utilisation.
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If the incumbent BA and AA seniors, LH and UA, AF and DL, can stay in post after Open Skies and Chapter 11 emergences settle down - say, this time next year, then...they now know, and presumably may soon love, each other. I am stunned that (for example) KL and AF have not yet publicly got into a hissy fit - arrogance, leadership issues (imagine adding AZ!). The moment one of the Alliances decides to become one airline, then that gorilla will change the entire air transport game.