Most of us know the travel fear of a bag not appearing on the belt after a flight. Some of us -- ever more, thanks to the aviation chaos this year -- know the gut punch of it not appearing. But an increasing number of travelers know what it's like to lose a bag and get it back -- not because of airlines' diligence, but because they knew their bag's location thanks to a tracking device they'd packed with their clothes. Valerie Szybala is the latest with a story to tell. The disinformation researcher from Washington D.C. received her lost luggage after nearly six days, during which she tracked it as it went on walkabouts to local malls and McDonald's while the airline told her that the bag was safely at its distribution center.<br/>In fact, it appeared to be at someone's home -- an apartment complex where Szybala says she found other emptied and discarded suitcases out by the trash. The story she has to tell of how her bag was lost and found, and how United Airlines dealt with her case, is enough to make you never check a bag again. Szybala had taken her first international trip in several years -- a month abroad -- and was flying back to D.C.'s Reagan Airport on December 28. She had bought an Airtag -- Apple's tracking device -- especially for the trip. "I'd heard that it was a thing," she says of 2022's travel trend of putting tracking devices in luggage to find bags in the event that they get lost. "I had a layover scheduled, so I knew the potential for the bag to get lost was high."<br/>
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The Colombian carrier Avianca had a strong 2022, reaching 24.6m travelers and operating over 187,000 flights, the airline announced today. Throughout the year, Avianca launched 21 new routes connecting markets across the Americas. After emerging from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy process in the United States in December 2021, Avianca went into 2022 with a plan to grow, launch new routes, and transition from a full-service carrier to a service that resembles more a low-cost, a model widespread throughout the region. Last year, Avianca carried 24.6 i on over 187,000 flights. The airline currently offers 24 countries in 125 routes, averaging over 3,800 weekly flights and 650,000 seats. Avianca mainly operates from Colombia, although it has branches in Costa Rica and Ecuador. Last year Avianca reactivated its direct operation from Bogota to the UK with 14 weekly flights to London and carried 244 customers on the first flight that, marked the beginning of visa-free entry for Colombians and Peruvians to the UK. In terms of punctuality, Avianca consistently ranked in the top 10 of the world's most punctual airlines in 2022. Latin America’s Azul was ranked as the most punctual carrier globally.<br/>
Cho Won-tae, chairman of Hanjin Group, said the aviation industry will get back on track this year, and asked Korean Air employees to help complete the acquisition of Asiana Airlines in his New Year address. "We've seen a glimpse of normalization and the?airports are beginning to bustle with passengers whom we have missed dearly. We also found hope and pleasure in returning to work to see our colleagues," Cho said in his New Year message that was posted on the company's employee website, Monday. "We need to identify in advance our customers' preferred destinations and services, and analyze when and where to add operations as well as which services to enhance."?? Amidst growing economic uncertainties, Cho assured his colleagues that the?airline is confident and ready to move forward. "There have been numerous challenges in our way, but we've always overcome and leveraged them to create new opportunities. We're armed with more than half a century of experience and will use this insight to address our future." The chairman emphasized the importance of successfully acquiring Asiana within the year. "2023 is a pivotal year for completing the huge task of closing our acquisition of Asiana?Airlines. We are in the last stage with the remaining overseas competition authorities reviewing the deal," he said. Cho also emphasized Korean Air's environment, social and corporate governance (ESG) duties as a responsible member of society. "ESG management is no longer a choice, but mandatory for our future survival. We've always been committed to the well-being of our society. Introducing eco-friendly?aircraft, reducing waste through increased in-cabin recycling and operating an ESG committee to improve governance are all part of our efforts to support our social responsibility. We will not stop here, but continue to make?Korean?Air?a responsible company that fulfills its corporate responsibilities and is beloved by its customers," he said.<br/>
Air China is to complete its acquisition of Shandong Airlines’ parent company following an equity transfer and capital injection, a move it says will “enhance its overall profitability” and better capture domestic market share. The Beijing-based carrier on 30 December 2022 entered into an equity transfer agreement with two of Shandong Aviation’s shareholders, Shansteel Financial Holdings and Qingdao Qifa, to acquire their respective stakes of 1.4% and 0.9%. The equity transfer is valued at around CNY32.9m ($4.8m), according to a stock exchange filing from Air China. At the same time, Air China, along with Shandong Finance and construction firm Shandong Hi-Speed, will jointly make a CNY10b capital increase in Shandong Aviation. The move will see Air China increase its stake in Shandong Aviation from the present 49.4% to 66%, resulting in the latter becoming an Air China subsidiary. Jinan-based Shandong Airlines is 42% owned by Shandong Aviation, with Air China owning close to 23% and the remaining 35% or so publicly traded. In brief remarks explaining why it undertook the acquisition, Air China states: “After the company takes control of Shandong Aviation…and Shandong Airlines, the company will be able to enhance its overall profitability by further strengthening market layout and deepening its cooperation with Shandong Aviation.” <br/>
Air New Zealand has its eye on a Jetsons-like electric aircraft that can take off like a helicopter and fly like a plane. It might sound fanciful - but the plane has already made multiple test flights – including with the US Air Force, and has hundreds of orders. In December, Air NZ unveiled four different zero-emissions planes it was looking to buy. While three of the planes use runways, like traditional aircraft, one of them stood out as a bit of a wild card – it will lift vertically. The plane is from USA-based Beta Technologies, which is developing an aircraft known as the ALIA-250. What is the ALIA-250? At first glance, it looks like a giant drone. It has four vertical propellers for lift-off, and one at the back to help it fly like a plane. It behaves Jetson-like, referring to the famous cartoon where the Jetson family flies around Orbit City in an aircraft that launches vertically, but cruises like a traditional plane. The company is developing two models: one for cargo and another passenger model that will carry up to five passengers and a pilot. It has a maximum take-off weight of around 3174 kg - roughly the weight of a large white rhino. The plane's design - particularly its tail - is inspired by the Arctic tern, which holds the record for the longest migration of any bird in the world. Each year, they migrate from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle.<br/>
Air New Zealand is now allowing baggage trackers to be used on its flights and has loosened its cabin bag policy in response to passengers’ concerns around losing their luggage, a National MP says he has been told. However, the airline has yet to confirm the information Dr Shane Reti has shared. The politician wrote to both the airline and Auckland Airport this week after he saw baggage piled up at the arrivals hall on December 26, offering suggestions as to how the situation could be improved. Reti said he received a response “within an hour” from Air New Zealand CE Greg Foran, who explained the steps the airline was taking. He said he was told the airline had “significantly” increased call centre and baggage handling resources, and that baggage trackers such as AirTags and Tiles are now allowed on Air New Zealand flights. Air New Zealand has yet to publicly confirm the change. On Monday, a spokesperson for the airline told Stuff they had sought approval from the Civil Aviation Authority for passengers to be able to use the devices and was waiting to hear back.<br/>Reti said Foran also responded to his suggestion that there needed to be more leniency in terms of baggage weight for customers wanting to travel with carry-on baggage only. Economy passengers are typically allowed one carry-on bag that can weigh up to 7kg. “He wrote back saying there was a looseness of policy in as much that there still needed to be safety – so you couldn’t bring 20kg up in the cabin, but they did have a looseness of policy to reflect this concern.”<br/>