Flyingtypers Cargo Talks!

Here we debut a new Podcast allowing us to leverage our nearly 50 years covering the airline industry. Presented for a more relaxed time of the week, these stories will be shared on Saturdays and be aimed at our abiding interest in the wider experience we all share, working and serving in the transportation industry. Our first Saturday Bulldog  Edition here follows two, pioneering, smart and tough sisters in a place, that despite the passing years remains somewhat remote, while retaining what is left of the American spirit of natural living. Air cargo across Alaska is an absolute way of life, in a place where flying freight harkens back to the early, high adventure aviation days. Our contributing writers here, and, as it turns out, shippers as well, are Miki and Julie Collins who live in Lake Minchumina, Alaska.

Happy New Year! Here we get back to work sharing the views of people that make the global logistics industry go for our 45th consecutive year. Today Flying Typers is the longest continually published industry media source under the same ownership and Publisher/Editor in the history of air cargo. But what will happen in 2020? After a less than memorable 2019 it seems everybody is looking for answers. Will this new decade be the “Roaring 20’s” or as we celebrate Chinese  Lunar New Year later this month, will we step off during 2020 as an industry into “The Year of The Mouse?” Brandon Fried longtime President of the Air Forwarders Association is one air cargo executive in world of change that seems to transcend time. While it has become fashion and even rule to flip and change top executives regularly at other industry associations , there goes “Steady Brandon” out there seemingly unflappable as counterpoint to that action. Let’s face it we have all more or less have  been home surrounded in the sanctuary of f

For the second straight year, United Cargo teamed with nonprofit Wreaths Across America and CEVA Logistics to ship live, Maine-made balsam fir holiday wreaths to Europe. The wreaths traveled from United hubs in IAD, IAH and EWR to AMS for the December 1 event at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten. President Truman said that the only news is history you don’t know. Maybe the best argument for continually paying attention to history, is so that we might learn from what we missed. the story of the Wright Brothers is often told. Here ius something you never heard before. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/geoffrey-arend/support

The year 2019 will be remembered at Turkish Cargo as a year-long transition whilst the brand continued to build through major investments and expansion of destinations, among other factors. Just four months after Cathay Pacific's chief executive resigned, Hong Kong Airlines, the city's third largest carrier, is hanging onto its license by its finger nails due to a financial crisis, and is being allowed to survive now with government help. It’s happening all over the world. As Christmas 2019 approaches, organized air cargo, at gateways here in the USA and abroad, are wrapping hearts and minds around helping others.

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) named Issa Baluch into its Hall of Fame in a ceremony to be held this Wednesday evening in Budapest Hungary. Mr. Baluch’s daughter Sarah will accept the award on behalf of her father. There have been Hall of Fame inductees for the past 21 years at TIACA including many of the greats of air cargo including Bill Boesch, Jacques Ancher, Ram Menen and Robert Arendal. Bob Arendal by the way was the first inductee in the modern era. He went into the Hall in 1997. In a sentence Issa Baluch invented Sea/Air in Dubai and then sold his company,retired and then became a teacher and humanitarian. But the rest of the story is so much more.

It's not rocket science but rather the rest of the story. Here Geoffrey offers some further insight of the people operating out of display stands this week at Logitrans Istanbul. Later we take a closer look into the future mind of Uber in commercial cargo transportation.

Logitrans Istanbul This Week As Logitrans Istanbul opens this week November 13-15, the self-proclaimed “bridge connecting the Eurasian region via logistic solutions,” is greeted by Emre Eldener, President of The Association of International Transport and Logistics Service Producers-UTIKAD, the very important market force for good, talking things over with Geoffrey. Emre’s message to all is straight from the shoulder and right from the heart: “We are here for everyone,” Emre declared.  Virgin Cargo Teams Up “Cargo customers in Australia and Japan will be very pleased to see the launch Virgin Australia Brisbane to Tokyo-Haneda services March 29, 2020. “The daily Airbus A330 flight will offer between 15-20 tons of cargo capacity and will be marketed by Virgin Atlantic Cargo under its longstanding international long-haul sales and marketing agreement with Virgin Australia,” said Dominic Kennedy, Managing Director of Virgin Atlantic Cargo. IATA Operations Big Meeting In Amsterdam Who can explain it, who can t

“While you are reading a book, it is also reading you,” purportedly words once spoken by Hans Christian Anderson have come to mind. Take the case of Richard Elieson, who has served as President of American Airlines Cargo for the past three and a half years. We have spoken often about things, usually at a trade show, or even as we did recently during a short interview/meeting inside American Cargo’s new Penthouse Suite of offices at the gleaming new Skyview 8 headquarters building in Fort Worth, Texas. Usually it’s a battery of questions and answers as the interview goes on. But in this case what you are about to hear addresses only one question. I asked Rick “What are the most important attributes of a leader?” His answer was direct, to the point and voluminous enough to serve as a course outline for advanced air cargo management. Rarely, as a reporter, do we experience this sort of volume and depth and fervor emerge from a business interview. We are moved, and at the same time inspired by these words and tho

EMO Trans Big South Africa Win “The EMO Trans organization proudly announces our new exclusive global co-operation partnership with Bidvest International Logistics (BIL) in South Africa that commences in early 2020,” Jo Frigger, CEO of EMO Trans told FlyingTypers as a blockbuster deal between BIL and EMO was announced Monday November 4. Nic Has The Knack What it is about Nic Danton is, this great cargo professional continues to deliver his specialty—the shipping business to and from Africa as the Doha-based carrier moves into top of the heap in global air cargo airlines. Africa As Issa Baluch Sees It Issa Baluch may know as much about logistics as anybody you will ever meet. Issa possesses the chops and know-how gained over a career that spans 40 years. Babar Badat In Cape Town This year at the just completed FIATA World Congress in Cape Town October 2-5, Babar Badat, President of FIATA hosted, what most folks inside and outside the organization agree, was one of the greatest World Congresses in the 90-plus y

The best feature of this truly remarkable place might be the one experience everyone gets to visit at least a couple times day.      The new American Airlines Headquarters is a classic grand American building in the tradition of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC, and our great transportation structures such as The Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia Airport or Grand Central Station in New York City.      All of these places include a confluent space positioned in the center of all the action, where everyone briefly coalesces on their various journeys—in or out of various chambers of government, or to catch a flight or a train, or here in Texas in this beautiful place, on the way to work.

With the environment increasingly under the microscope, United Airlines stands alone as the only USA flag carrier to utilize biofuel.  Perhaps overlooked in the general rush of things on June 5th was United’s Flight for the Planet, the most eco-friendly commercial flight of its kind in the history of aviation, as World Environment Day was celebrated everywhere. For forwarders and shippers, the key challenge of the coming months will come from the higher costs that implementing new environmental shipping regulations will impose on global supply chains.      From January 1, 2020, new International Maritime Organization regulations will put a 0.5% cap on sulfur content in marine fuels globally, down from a maximum of 3.5% now. With oil prices rising, the exact cost of the new fuels is not yet known for certain, but with low-sulfur fuels significantly more expensive, container line shipping executives have called on supply chain partners to share the burden of rising fuel costs, whi

“We are delighted to welcome Tel Aviv to our network. It is an important cargo route and we have been extremely encouraged by the level of interest and bookings for both our direct services between London and Tel Aviv and the U.S. connections we now offer over our London hub,” . Dominic Kennedy, Managing Director of Virgin Atlantic Cargo announced as Virgin Atlantic’s first flight to Tel Aviv touched down at Ben Gurion International Airport September 25. Here once again the incomparable story teller Marco Sorgetti weaves a tale with an up close and personal visit with FIATA stalwart and all around air cargo professional Ivan Petrov. Marco who served as Director General of FIATA for so many years it could make you cry knows the people and the times of FIATA in 2019 like nobody else. This heartwarming story ,part of our exclusive series on behalf of freight forwarders worldwide, continues in 2019-2020 . "Women in Aviation Workforce Report" just published by the group Women In Aviation International, reveals tha

Linda Faces Future Pays It Forward Linda Eshiwani-Nate, Business Development Manager at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport (HJIA) put it on the line: : “I am really excited. "For quite a while, US airports have remained far behind their European and Asian counterparts, especially as it relates to the overall airport experience and Cargo handling and operations, as such, I am excited that we (ATL) have arrived here today." The Trump Effect The ambitious Trump economic agenda has already started paying off – the U.S. is seeing record low unemployment, robust GDP growth and, for the first time in over a decade, consistently rising wages. Likewise, his muscular anti-immigrant stance has reduced illegal immigration and his forceful brinksmanship on trade has led to more balanced exchange with Mexico. Bogotá Watching Flowers Proflora 2019 is being held this week as the self proclaimed “best flower show” opens in Bogotá, Colombia on October 2 and runs through October 6. With 500 exhibitors expected at

The  good news is that digital payment sector is rapidly evolving and PayCargo is leading the way! Business to consumer (B2C) payment technology trends are being driven by Millennials and Generation Z, with changing consumer habits transforming industries across the world. This is a great opportunity, but how can we effectively harness the benefits for the air cargo industry? Kale Logistics Solution has been chosen by Mitchell Cotts a top shipping, freight forwarding, warehousing and transport resource in Kenya to digitize their entire air cargo handling operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi and  Daniel Tanui, MD of Mitchell Cotts could not be happier. Los Angeles Air Cargo Association(LAACA) and the Airforwarders Association(AfA) with President Brandon Fried did a masterful job of conducting a session last week with 200 in attendance that included Ramon Olivares from Los Angeles World Airports.

They say that cream rises to the top and that expression is evident all round as a soft end of summer evening Oktoberfest in Frankfurt brings together the most important transportation partners this evening  Wednesday, September 18, at “Anglerheim Moerfelden” located in a bosky dell quite close to Frankfurt Airport. With Ingo Zimmer and Dagmar Hanau hosting , “ATC Oktoberfest”  includes more than 800 guests from all over Europe and from destinations far and wide. Here Come The Indians- Part One. We begin a four part exclusive series as leading freight forwarders of India look ahead to Autumn 2019 and 2020 noting impact of USA China trade war. As a postscript to that big D-Day gathering earlier this summer when more than 40 DC3s returned to the skies above the coast of France we journey to Bernay in Normandie and relive some WW11 memories through a eyes of a child.

As 2019 steams on here is  the first of  series of exclusive overviews of today and tomorrow as Flying Typers asks an elite group of the best and brightest transportation executives of India what they think of the current world situation. Keshav Tanna  is a stalwart in global professional freight forwarding, also gives back serving on the board of the great world organization FIATA is Director (Airfreight), Links Forwarders based in New Delhi India... "Women in Aviation Workforce Report" just published by the group Women In Aviation reveals that while women are underrepresented in many areas of aviation, the areas with the largest gaps include technical operations and leadership positions. The report shows that women make up less than 10% of pilots, maintenance technicians, and airline executives. In advance of ULD Care that starts this week (Sept 16-18)  in Toronto Canada Martin Kraemer the effusive Head of Marketing and PR for Jettainer,”The Jettainer Can Man” shares some thoughts . Mart

President Donald Trump participated in somber memorial services with First Lady Melania Trump today on the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks In the U.S.. We recall when New York/New Jersey Port Authority Director of Air Cargo Jim Larsen showed up at our house on September 13, 2001 with a manuscript of how he  escaped the World Trade Center minutes before Tower One came crashing down. Here is that story, word-for-word as Jim wrote it 18 years ago..

“The worst-case scenario, of an airline that’s forced to police the political views of its own workforce in order to maintain the open skies it needs to operate, would be a horrendous one for Cathay,” Bloomberg's Dan Fickling writes. “Driving a wedge between management and staff inclined to support Hong Kong’s aspirations for greater freedom, and between the airline and customers who retain loyalty to it as an icon of the territory’s unique status, could quickly erase the gains from nearly four years of turning around the business. “Waiting in the wings in that event is the risk that the long-rumored takeover by Cathay’s second-largest shareholder, Air China Ltd., could finally come to fruition." Ran into our friend Nalin Rodrigo who we first met on Dubai Creek some years ago when he was fronting the cargo fortunes of Sri Lankan Cargo from his offices in Colombo. Nalin an all-cargo pro was always completely unflappable, energetic and to tell it a great air cargo dreamer and doer. A Louisiana USA Senator named

Ram Menen has seen many seasons come and go, spending more than two decades first as part of the launch team and then as top executive of Emirates SkyCargo where he led that organization to the top of the world. Today, happily retired in Luxembourg and Kuala Lumpur, Ram is a much sought after air cargo executive that readily shares his take on 2019 in an exclusive FlyingTalkers interview. Neel Jones Shah is a smart guy and a dreamer and doer.   He is no shrinking violet either, but rather someone who is actively on the front lines of change, having moved rather easily from top management at the airlines into top management at the wunderkind bunch at Flexport where he serves as EVP and Global Head of Airfreight. Once upon a time, Neel as the head of Delta Cargo, led approximately 2,000 employees worldwide and oversaw over $1 Billion in freight & mail revenues. In USA, Bake Me A Wish, headquartered in New York City began in 2005, offering nationwide service for gourmet birthday cake delivery natio

   The great race to connecting with air cargo customers on a real-time and all day basis, is nice work if you can get it. Enter Vanya Bukova and Jennifer Haigh. Both are part of an account executive team that reports to Helen Kristensen, United Cargo’s Manager Strategic Accounts.    When writing of the Hong Kong conflict going on right now in the former Crown Colony, (now a special district) we cannot help but wonder what’s next for air cargo? So, we figure why not go to someone who carries the credentials of experience, knowledge, passion and air cargo building, Stan Wraight, CEO of Strategic Aviation Solutions (SASI). www.sasi.com.hk  Ex-DSV executive Steve Walker called on FIATA to “become a safe haven for forwarders to discuss a wider new industry strategy,” in the face of vertical consolidation by shipping lines, and the attempt to control data via platforms such as TradeLens, a join partnership between IBM and Maersk.