In a move to bring white-glove asset tracking in house, Southwest Airlines has unveiled Cargo Companion, a cellular-based device that can track shipments as well as monitor temperature, humidity and other useful information. It is being targeted at shippers of high-value perishables, time-critical parts and irreplaceable items.

DHL has inaugurated a direct flight from the U.S. to Australia. According to the company, the new, twice-weekly route improves transit times into the major Australian metropolitan areas of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane by at least one day. Shipments picked up on Friday in the U.S. will be delivered by Monday in all of Australia's major cities.

The uncertainty that prevailed in 2011 resulted in a particularly volatile and difficult year for the freight forwarding industry, according to Global Freight Forwarding 2012, the latest report by Transport Intelligence.

The International Air Transport Association and the International Civil Aviation Organization, along with other aviation authorities, have urged African officials to promote and implement the Africa Strategic Improvement Action Plan. The plan, which calls for all African carriers to complete IATA Operational Safety Audit registration, contains specific ways to improve aviation safety in Africa from now until 2015.

CTL Global Inc. has opened a new warehouse in Bensenville, Ill. The facility was designed to meet the needs of the company's clients while accommodating future growth within its final-mile delivery division, Continental Transportation Solutions.

time:matters, a provider of expedited logistics by air, rail and road, has expanded its service network through cooperation with Germanwings, a subsidiary of Lufthansa.

The U.S. arm of Air Menzies International (AMI) has launched click2ship Imports, the import version of its online, door-to-door express wholesale service for air freight.

In a position paper, the Global Air Cargo Advisory Group warned against the issuance of ad-hoc directives about the utilization of advance electronic data for airfreight security. Instead, the coalition encouraged governments around the world to take cues from the industry and look to the Air Cargo Advance Screening pilot program currently under way in the U.S. for guidance.

Lufthansa Cargo reduced CO2 emissions by more than 700 tonnes through the use of lightweight containers in May and June alone. For the first time, more than half of the standard containers utilised for freight and baggage transports were made from light composite materials. By reducing weight, the composite materials lower fuel consumption and carbon emissions.