airberlin makes no apologies for Etihad alliance after joining oneworld

airberlin this week proclaimed it would "take off for a shared future" with oneworld, but the carrier's medium-term future is not with the global alliance but rather its new strategic partner Etihad Airways.

In the driver's seat is airberlin CEO Hartmut Mehdorn, who after the carrier's joining event in Berlin this week gave a frank assessment of the situation. "Of course," Mr Mehdorn said of British Airways preferring to receive airberlin's feed instead of Etihad. But conversely, few oneworld carriers serve airberlin's namesake hub. "And we would prefer a flight to Berlin. It's a give and it's a take."

airberlin can extract from oneworld only as much as member airlines fly to Berlin, which the majority do not do. The Berlin Government is working to incentivise companies to make Germany's largest and capital city their home. From there more flights can flow, but this ambition has a long lead time. It is not irrelevant to ask if airberlin, knowing an Etihad alliance would eventuate, would have proceeded with oneworld membership.