STAR has certainly been more aggressive in promoting its identity to the public. Ads have appeared on international TV outlets, and in Canada, they fully sponsor a half-hour business report daily on CBC Newsworld. (Getting a little tired of that "aircraft painter" ad, and the new one about the FFer who leaves his bag at the curb after getting into a cab from a flawless trip through the terminal is just awful!)

Oneworld has never quite got its act together on the marketing front, even though its core carriers had code share and prior marketing alliances prior to forming the entity. Did they not appoint a marketing director to work out of YVR to plan major campaigns and initiatives?

If the BA rumour is true, then it would certainly spell doom for oneworld as we know it since BA owns a substantial portion of Qantas, another key oneworld partner.