their customer base, build strategic relations on different levels
with customers and understand their needs, as well as follow
market trends,” he relates. “We have analysed various options in
the market and went for cargo.one for a number of reasons.”
ABC Sales Director - Europe, Jonathan Celetaria, says that the rollout
has been a game-changer, bringing speed and transparency to
bookings, and that customer feedback is already very positive.
Unlike the stereotypically slow process of modernising air
cargo, since deciding to partner with cargo.one, developments
came about quickly for CLA, confirms Simson Demmer, Chief
Strategy Officer of CargoLogicManagement. “We met in person
with the full team at WCS in Singapore for the first time…
Instead of talking about the mythical task of digitalisation, we
clicked. We walked away from the meeting with a clear view that,
together, we could make rapid progress.” The main advantages
are obvious, he continues: “It opens a new sales channel for us
as carriers. We can reach our existing customers and those that
maybe haven’t thought of us as often before.
“It was important for us to be able to offer an end-to-end
booking process, rather than, for instance, a novel way to
distribute rates. So cargo.one’s focus on ‘instant confirmation’
was a good match, as was its focus on some of our core European
markets.” Integration was easy, he says, and he expects digital
booking platforms of this nature to become the standard of
the future. “In fact, as an industry, we must move faster in that
direction. No passenger carrier in the world could afford to only
offer bookings by phone or e-mail.” Cargo carriers need to be
present across all platforms where their customers are, he asserts.
“While freight is more complex in many ways, the technology
and capabilities exist to make a larger share of products and
services available online as well.”
Beyond dot com
Dominic Kennedy, Managing Director of Virgin Cargo, explains
how Virgin came to invest in the digital movement. “We were
The first booking for ABC and CLA’s
capacities using cargo.one software
July also saw the launch
of the new cloud-based
platform Accenture’s Freight
and Logistics Software (AFLS)
Exchange, which enables air
cargo carriers to integrate
their operations with those
of their partners. Air France
KLM Martinair Cargo signed
up as the launch carrier for
the platform. This followed
the announcement in June
that Virgin Cargo had
become the first company
to adopt Accenture’s AFLS
8.0 platform as its end-toend
cargo management
software suite. September
also saw MASkargo partner
with Unisys to offer cargo
customers a way to access,
purchase and track cargo
services online, from booking
to delivery.
The business case
Joining the online revolution
has become compulsory, says
Andrey Andreev, Vice President
Europe for AirBridgeCargo
Airlines. “Being part of digital
booking platforms becomes
essential for air cargo players
if they want to embrace new
sales channels and expand
The shift to
digital in air cargo
is ubiquitous
Moritz Claussen, Founder and MD,
cargo.one
www.airlogisticsinternational.com October 2019 31
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