The 30 days that turned the airline world on its head

Directly and indirectly the Gulf carriers have had a seismic impact on the global alliances in a few short months in late 2012. Although there had been numerous earth tremors leading up to the events of Sep-Oct-2012, few could have anticipated the rapidity of the change and its far-reaching consequences....In just a month in 2012, the Middle East operators rocked the ground under the delicate web of international airline alliances and partnerships. Emirates, Etihad and Qatar are still relentlessly pursuing their own objectives...these carriers will continue to set their own paths and reshape the industry around them.

By shattering the previous aviation hierarchy...most major airlines will now be forced to re-evaluate their earlier strategies. For the larger ones at least, that strategy had previously often been no more sophisticated than trying to hold back the forces of change...The US airlines, always more introspective and preoccupied with domestic issues, will be slower to act and are now confronted by some confusing crossovers presented by their global alliance partners’ moves.

The changes in global aviation, as outlined by the moves from big Mid-East players: