Posted by Thelma Etim | Sep 18, 2019 | Air Cargo Newsdesk, Airlines, Editor’s choice, Europe, Freight-forwarding, Global insight, logistics, Photo of the week, Technology Trends | 0
AGREE a price, make a cargo shipment booking and receive confirmation of your order can all be done in less time than it takes to put on your coat, writes Thelma Etim.
New digital technology means that Russia’s AirBridgeCargo (ABC) and its UK afiliate CargoLogicAir (CLA) are now – in an industry first for them – able to offer their forwarder customers unrivalled access to real-time shipment capacity availability and instant pricing options, all in less than a minute.
They have joined a growing list of airfreight players benefitting from a breakthrough digital airfreight shipment booking platform called Cargo One.
Introducing the digital interface to their customers was not a disruptive decision, as both cargo airlines took less than 12 weeks to implement the system which allows their forwarders to search, compare and book freight shipment rates in ‘real-time’ – and receive immediate confirmations.
Andrey Andreev, AirBridgeCargo Airlines’ vice-president for Europe, believes: “Digital booking platforms [such as this] are essential for air cargo players if they want to embrace new sales channels, expand their customer base and build strategic relationships.”
Andreev adds: “This system means we can reach existing and new customers with ease because its simplicity makes it a truly seamless experience – fully transparent for our customers from search to shipment booking in less than a minute.”
The Cargo One platform is a simple, clean and intuitive experience for its users – “providing better choices for airfreight and facilitating transactions,” Andreev explains.
Finnair Cargo, Agility, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics and DACHSER are some of the major airfreight businesses which now have access to the “cost-effective, data-driven and fully digital distribution channel,” insists Berlin-based Cargo One, which was founded in 2017 and in which Lufthansa Cargo is a minor shareholder.
ABC and CLA’s capacities are now ‘live’ online for general and premium cargo services originating from Frankfurt, Munich and Leipzig in Germany, as well as from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, but both airlines plan to extend their new digital capability to include the full breadth and depth of their entire networks.
A shipment can be priced and booked in less than a minute
Moritz Claussen, managing director and founder of Cargo One, notes: “This [ABC and CLA announcement] is a milestone for the air cargo industry. After 12 weeks of hard work, agile development and constructive engagement on both sides, the shipment capacities of AirBridgeCargo and CargoLogicAir can now be booked with the click of a button and instant confirmation.”
Jonathan Celeteria, sales director for Europe at AirBridgeCargo, reveals that, so far, customer feedback has been “extremely positive so far” due to the speed, ease and transparency they gain.
“For us, it’s a game-changer, especially as we cope with the challenging market conditions we are facing at the moment.”