Carriers dismiss air freight booking portals

Airlines have brushed aside plans by shippers to book space directly, cutting out forwarders from the supply chain.

The carriers say that direct-booking portals, such as that being set up by Dutch shippers' association Evo, are unlikely to help shippers.

"Forwarders provide a product that we don't" said Jim McKeon, MD of Continental Airlines Cargo. "We 're only airport-to-airport - we couldn't do door-to-door well, as we are not a full logistics operation. We have a relationship with forwarders that is about partnerships."

Steve Gunning, MD of British Airways World Cargo, agreed. "I think that forwarders do a certain job and we do a different one, so I'm not wholly convinced of the portal idea."

Shippers have also expressed an interest in cutting out forwarders who are unable to add value, and booking directly. But one UK forwarder said: "I have heard this every year since I 've been in the business. Shippers simply don't have the know-how to deal with carriers, and won't want to bother with it. "

Airlines, buoyed by the pre-Christmas peak, which saw air freight take a bigger than usual portion of the logistics market, have also rebutted suggestions that there could be a modal shift to sea this year.

McKeon said: "The forwarding industry is balanced between air and ocean. We focus on high-value stuff and that which is not best served by ocean, such as medical supplies.

"There is demand for air freight, and we need to focus on what the demand is. We are not going to look for general freight, which is more sensitive to cost than time." (source: ifw)

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