Potential airlines joining Star Alliance

[SQalMundo]

What is the intention of Continental Airlines of quitting Skyteam and joining Star Allaince? Is it to merge with United Airlines due to financial reasons? By the way, I got from somewhere that these airlines have confirmed their future entry into Star Alliance:
1) Continental Airlines, 2) Air India, 3) Brussels Airlines, 4) TAM Linhas Aereas.

These are the airlines who have not confirmed their entry into Star Alliance but are considering to join: 1) Air Astana 2) Ethopian Airlines and 3) China Eastern Airlines (after the merger of Shanghai Airlines with China Eastern that the government is considering, Shanghai Airlines would be replaced with China Eastern on the list of Star Alliance carriers.) What do you think that these joining will benefit you in?

[jjpb3]

wikipedia?

[D]o please take these things with a huge grain of salt.

One of our members is apparently a busy Internet researcher.

[huaiwei]

What is the intention of Continental Airlines of quitting Skyteam and joining Star Allaince? Is it to merge with United Airlines due to financial reasons? By the way, I got from somewhere that these airlines have confirmed their future entry into Star Alliance:
1) Continental Airlines, 2) Air India, 3) Brussels Airlines, 4) TAM Linhas Aereas.

These are the airlines who have not confirmed their entry into Star Alliance but are considering to join: 1) Air Astana 2) Ethopian Airlines and 3) China Eastern Airlines (after the merger of Shanghai Airlines with China Eastern that the government is considering, Shanghai Airlines would be replaced with China Eastern on the list of Star Alliance carriers.) What do you think that these joining will benefit you in?

Continental is not merging with United Airlines, but will instead form a tight alliance.

As for China Eastern, I would be surprised if the CEA-Shanghai deal materialises at all, and all the more surprised if the merged entity ends up in Star. That will mean two major Chinese carriers in Star and none in OneWorld (unless one consideres CX a "Chinese" airline!).

[Kiwi]

What is the intention of Continental Airlines of quitting Skyteam and joining Star Allaince? Is it to merge with United Airlines due to financial reasons?

CO is joining *A in future because the NW-DL merger will effectively shut it out of ST.

By the way, I got from somewhere that these airlines have confirmed their future entry into Star Alliance:
1) Continental Airlines, 2) Air India, 3) Brussels Airlines, 4) TAM Linhas Aereas.

Only Air India is confirmed as a future *A member. CO is a potential one (depends on several conditions being met, the most important of which is that the NW-DL merger actually happens). Brussels and TAM are just rumours at this stage.

[flo]

CO is joining *A in future because the NW-DL merger will effectively shut it out of ST.



Only Air India is confirmed as a future *A member. CO is a potential one (depends on several conditions being met, the most important of which is that the NW-DL merger actually happens). Brussels and TAM are just rumours at this stage.

Are Brussels and TAM rumors?

LH announced that SN will join up in a press release when they bought in.

[Kiwi]

IIRC LH said they'd like SN to join, which is not the same thing as a confirmed future entry to *A (for instance confirmed future joiners to *A normally have *A associate status and SN does not have this yet, nor CO for that matter). Then again as LH dominates *A I would not bet against SN joining.