Skift Take
Oneworld makes a strong showing, and as American Airlines continues to grow, it would appear to offer the strongest product of any of the three alliances. The wild card, though, comes from the non-traditional alliances being built from the Gulf states.
It wasn't that long ago that a first class ticket wasn't worth its face-value on long-haul routes with onward connections; neither was a business class one. In fact, it may actually have been yesterday, even this morning.
The disparate product levels and service standards from one member of an alliance to the next, have left many high-revenue passengers over the years feeling cheated. Imagine flying in the ultimate luxury of a five-star airline, only to find that, on connection, that same first class fare brings you down to a three-star level cabin -- at best.
This has been a common woe of the world traveler for many years, and some still complain of it; but airline alliances have worked to change that. All of the big three -- oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam -- say they scrutinize new applicants to their alliances, ensuring they meet an unspecified but lengthy list of requirements. But how well is that screening process working for them?
The hurried activit
