I believe what the intent here at least for AA, is similar to what they have with Air Alaska. I have friends that travel here to the east coast from the northwest. From time to time, even though they have booked through AA, their 1st leg or so of the trip is actually flown on Air Alaska. They would book, pay and sometimes use AA miles for this. I'm not sure how the 2 airlines "work things out", but of the times I've known this to happen, it was seamless for the passengers.

I know a lot of us who live in the north east have been spoiled over the years with flights to SXM, but the last few years have been becoming more and more difficult to get convenient flights to SXM and home, especially since American stopped their direct flights from JFK and their connecting flights through SJU(San Juan). HOPEFULLY, this will restore more and better options. I have flights for the end of October into November. Coming home to BDL(Hartford), it is impossible to get home in 1 day without over nighting in MIA or CLT. If I have to add one more day to my trip, I'd rather that it be in SXM, lol.

I'm looking at this with a half full glass and hoping this will be a good thing. If the 2 airlines were merging, I'd be concerned about consolidation. But this is a partnering deal, not a merging deal. I believe that this new deal must be approved by the FAA and federal regulators as well, so the ink is not dry on this deal yet.