Qatar? Alaska? Will Monday Be All We Hope It Will Be?

Monday morning,

So good to me

Monday morning

it was all I hoped it would be...

The Mamas and the Papas sang about unrequited love on a Monday in 1966, but this Monday 2012 the love will be mutual as new partnerships are forged in the airline world. 

If my sources are correct, flying up the altar to join the oneworld Alliance will be Qatar Airways, one of the three Gulf carriers that have been redefining global aviation from their propitious location at the cross roads of two of the world's biggest travel markets; India and China.

Richard Anderson Photo courtesy of Delta

"And the other happy couple?" Inquiring minds want to know.

Well the extent of the nuptials I can't say for sure, but while Qatar may be pledging to have and to hold the dozen airlines that are part of oneworld, Delta chief executive Richard Anderson will be in Seattle, corporate HQ for Alaska Airlines and he and Alaska boss Brad Tilden  surely have something up their well-tailored sleeves.  

It could be that Alaska is taking a different tact, deciding to forswear all others and get hitched to Delta with an exclusive feed arrangement from Alaska's extensive Pacific coast network to Delta's international destinations. Maybe Alaska has even decided to send a Dear John letter to American and oneworld by becoming the 19th member of the SkyTeam? Alaska has played hard to get in the past by playing the field with both Delta and American. This I'm told is o.v.e.r.. (Or as country music legend Tammy Wynette crooned, Our D-I-V-O-R-C-E becomes final today...)

I'll leave you to consider the potential implications of these alliance members that are changing the face of 21st Century aviation.

They're not national carriers and their not global carriers. Now they're a hybrid of both as airline executives figure out new ways to turn flying solo into profitable partnerships.