Why this Korean Hotel Giant is Turning a Budget Airline Into a Lifestyle Brand

T’way Air, South Korea’s second-largest low-cost carrier, is getting a new name and mission. Now under the ownership of the Sono Hospitality Group, the airline will rebrand as Trinity Airways.

Sono is already one of South Korea’s largest resort and leisure operators. The identity shift, announced Tuesday, aims to align the airline with Sono’s wider ambitions to become a vertically integrated business that connects flights, hotels, and other travel products.

In February, Sono acquired management control of T'way Air for 250 billion won ($175 million). The deal was finalized in June.

The Trinity Airways name stems from trinitas, the Latin word meaning three-in-one. It’s a nod to the group’s attempt to unify air, lodging, and leisure into a single ecosystem.

Sono describes Trinity as “a symbolic starting point where various sectors of the hos