London ( CNN ) -- Trust the carriers of the Persian Gulf to cause mischief again . Having already destroyed the economics of the cosy international airline world , previously dominated by the European airlines , now the gulf carriers seem set to mess up the airline alliances too . All the major European airlines are now part of one of the three big alliances . There is Star ( the biggest ) based around Lufthansa and United Airlines ; Skyteam based around Air France/KLM and Delta ; Oneworld based around BA and American Airlines . Read more : How would you save American Airlines ? The gulf airlines have until now eschewed the alliances . Firstly because competitively the alliances did n't want them , and secondly because they were growing very nicely , thank you , without them . The reality is the three gulf carriers , Emirates , Qatar and Etihad are forces with which to be reckoned . Strategic investments by co-operative governments have given them large fleets and huge airports . They have created a flourishing environment while established carriers languish . Where London , Paris and Frankfurt were the traditional change-hubs , today Dubai , Doha and Abu Dhabi are perfectly placed at the crossroads of east and west . They are able to open up vast new markets in the Indian and Asian continent , as anyone who has been in those airports in the middle of the night can see . Over the past year the gulf airlines have expanded their investments and routes and in doing so are slowly disrupting , some say destroying , the airline alliances . It is oneworld that is feeling the effects most . First , James Hogan 's Etihad bought an equity stake in Air Berlin , a oneworld member . That deal raised eyebrows but it is workable within the alliance . Then , rival Tim Clark 's Emirates set up a 10-year partnership with Qantas -- another oneworld member -- which will clearly have major implications on relations with other alliance members such as BA and Cathay . But everyone put a brave face on it . Ailing Qantas announces alliance with Emirates . Today Akbar Al Bakar 's Qatar Airways joins oneworld and comes within the fold . So , all three gulf carriers are now , in some shape or form , in bed with oneworld airlines . That would be confusing enough , but now another nail has been hammered into the alliance coffin . Oneworld 's Air Berlin ( and its paymaster Etihad ) is entering a relationship with Air France/KLM , a member of Skyteam . And it 's not just a codeshare , but a long-standing strategic tie-up . Hang on . How on earth can a oneworld Air Berlin do a strategic tie up with the leading carrier in a rival airline and keep its loyalty to oneworld ? Even allowing for the fact oneworld is a looser federation of airlines than Star , this is a nonsense . The oneworld members are now either in bed with rival gulf carriers or hitched to rival alliance members in strategic partnerships . It beggars belief to think that oneworld can be more than a frequent flyer earn-and-burn alliance under those circumstances . The one who has most right to be annoyed is Al Bakar at Qatar . Once he is a full member he can rightly ask after the loyalties of Qantas and Air Berlin . Are they to his airline as a oneworld member ? Or to Emirates and Etihad as their respective partners ? We know the answer . It is a mess . More Quest : Chile 's president on the U.S. ' economic problems . Clark at Emirates has always said the alliances ' days are numbered . At this year 's IATA conference he sparked a lively debate with the view that the alliances were passed their sell by date because they could n't address the competitive demands of today 's market . He may be right . They were a creation of necessity because global airlines can not legally consolidate . However , as we are now seeing , the gulf carriers are either joining the alliances ( Qatar ) picking them off one by one ( Emirates ) or simply creating split loyalties ( Etihad ) . I predict that Air Berlin will eventually leave oneworld and join Skyteam to tidy up its relationship . I predict Qantas will slowly but surely drift away from oneworld but keep one foot in the camp because of its relationship with American Airlines and U.S. routes . And I predict Star loses Brazil 's TAM to oneworld next year . And throughout all of this the gulf carriers continue doing ad hoc deals where necessary ( Emirates talking to American , for instance ) and re-writing the rules . The point here is that the gulf carriers are in the left seat . They have the planes , the hubs , the connections and are opening up the new markets . Now the alliances have to learn how to deal with it . It wo n't be pretty . More Quest : Barroso on why European federation is 'unavoidable '
CNN 's Richard Quest says the carriers of the Persian Gulf are causing mischief again . They have eschewed airline alliances but are forces with which to be reckoned . Quest predicts changes including Air Berlin leaving oneworld . Throughout it all the Gulf carriers will continue doing ad hoc deals where necessary .