"Skyteam" is a joint entity designed to serve member airlines. If it were to take a life of its' own, then these airlines would lose control. Shareholders in these airlines probably are not agreeable to having their airline subject to the whims of a contract with "Skyteam". And I don't see how you can create a mechanism to give the owners of DAL/AF-KLMetc. shares of "Skyteam" instead, because I don't see a way of getting around the resulting thorny merger issues, from a contractual and regulatory standpoint.

Either Skyteam is the tail, a marketing tool to enhance the revenues of member airlines, or it becomes the head, which implies a whole lot of complicated restructuring, IMO.

Never mind the fact that regulators like to have airlines serve at their pleasure, and have great difficulties approving ATI applications for a few carriers. I don't think they would let a Skyteam jugernaut exist, with he ability to control contract carriers at will.

Right now, I don't see it.