Up Close & Personal—A story that you have never heard before . . . July 14, 1964: More than a month ahead of the anticipated arrival of the Beatles at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), management of the Los Angeles Department of Airports had their first meeting with local disc jockey/nightclub owner/concert promoter Bob Eubanks, as well as representatives of the local police and fire departments to plan for two "B-Days" —code for days on which The Beatles would be at LAX.
May 29, 2019•32 min
All Together Now FIATA, the freight forwarders organization meets every Spring to listen, learn and share their experiences with friends and colleagues. The 2019 Annual headquarters meeting held in Zurich Switzerland was a unparalleled success. FIATA In Person Is Unbeatable The unique atmosphere one breathes at the FIATA HQ – and even more so at the FIATA Congresses, which have 3 to 4 times more participants – is something you have to try yourself. Words are not enough to describe the endless op...
May 27, 2019•23 min
FlyingTalkers celebrates the start of Super Summer 2019 in the USA as Memorial Day is observed May 27. Here is a guide for everybody who loves aviation, and especially folks, that today live and work in air cargo, Right on the heels of a major world gathering—Air Cargo Europe in Munich, Germany at Transport Logistik June 4-7, the 70th anniversary of the ending of The Berlin Airlift that saved a city, is being celebrated in grand style from June 10 until June 18 at Wiesbaden Air Base near Frankfu...
May 23, 2019•20 min
As he closes in on his second year of serving as President of American Airlines Cargo, it is fair to say that Richard (Rick) Elieson guided the freight fortunes of the world’s largest airline with a steady hand. Rick Elieson is also a great photographer. Not just great because he knows how to handle a camera. In this age where everybody seems to be a phone photographer, Rick has the ability to snap stunning, original photos of wildlife in their natural settings. There is a great, if not slightly...
May 20, 2019•20 min
Shippers planning for the summer peak season received a curve ball from President Trump earlier this month. With only a few Presidential tweets of warning, the U.S.-China trade talks that optimists hoped would bring an end to confrontation and protectionism instead yielded an escalation as the U.S. raised tariffs from 10% to 25% on $200bn worth of Chinese imports. At Cargo Network Services (CNS) Partnership in Miami last week, we spoke to Sterling Transportation founder Keith Davis who developed...
May 16, 2019•23 min
As previous reported in Flying Talkers, Amazon’s emergence as a major player in air cargo and logistics has been rapid. But Amazon is not the only ‘e-tailer’ with an ambitious plan to integrate online and offline commerce by building huge logistics networks. Alibaba is also most definitely causing a stir. Jack Ma, the co-founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, increasingly has the global name recognition and ‘influencer’ status that comes to very few. A Flight To Nowhere S/H “When we hi...
May 14, 2019•15 min
(Forget about the fabled gorilla in the room, here we examine the reality of an 800 pound Amazon) Early last month Bill Boesch, the distinguished and eloquent former President of American Airlines Cargo, and now who delivers Special Commentaries in our sister E-Zine Flying Typers, explained how Amazon has the capability to transform the air cargo landscape. Follow The Fleet S/H For example, the e-tailer is already “its own air cargo customer” thanks to its ACMI contracts for Boeing aircraft with...
May 10, 2019•20 min
“The market might be less than a year ago-but it’s not bad,” insists Guillaume Halleux, Qatar Airways Head of Cargo. “Don’t let people tell you that we are in a recession again—we are not!” Guillaume is approaching his fourth anniversary atop Qatar Cargo this June. “I have worked internally to make sure that cargo is a strong contributor to the airline’s bottom line by making sure everyone understands our business and its objectives and possibilities.
May 07, 2019•15 min
Hot on the heels of Flexport’s latest funding infusion recently, FlyingTypers spoke to Neel Jones Shah, the forwarder’s SVP and Global Head of Air Freight. Shah has occupied top posts at United and Delta Cargo so he has gained a unique perspective and reputation for advancing keen analytics, frank observations and conclusive projections as an industry voice that is heard in transportation worldwide. Claiming “to advance JFK International Airport’s place as an international cargo handler,” a “pla...
May 03, 2019•17 min
"A blockchain is a distributed ledger database that maintains a continuously-growing list of transactions in the form of ordered records called blocks." -Wikipedia "If you can't explain it to a 10 year old, you don't know it yourself" – Albert Einstein (attributed, but disputed) Get ready for this. It's spring 2019 and in some quarters the season augurs the air cargo industry awards time of year. There are awards for everything, from Company of the Year to Person of the Year, from Most Influenti...
Apr 29, 2019•19 min
“A great opportunity for FIATA Association Members and Individual Members to exchange information and deliberate on important policy issues of our industry," FIATA President Babar Badat told Flying Talkers. A very popular aircraft from the 1950s and early 1960s that has ended up as a restaurant and often as a bar, usually perched on a concrete buttress, at several locations in the USA. is all or part of a Lockheed Constellation. Now at JFK International Airport in New York a "Connie" as the airp...
Apr 28, 2019•16 min
A300/A310 pioneered twin jet operations worldwide and are still at work today at FedEx. "Gathering Pace Together", a new sustainability report from Hapag-Lloyd as new rules for fuel content ready for prime time January 1, 2020 China India Burma Hump (CBI) If you want to know exactly when a defining time occurred for air cargo in the 20th century, and what led to the development of the industry we know today, join us as we cast a line back to April, seventy nine years ago, and you will discover t...
Apr 24, 2019•22 min
Easter 2019...Takeoff with the Supermarket of the Sky & Vince Ryan... The focus is on the mighty tulip, but roses, daffodils, orchids, and more all get their time to shine. There are English and Japanese gardens, a playground, petting zoo, maze and much more to explore. The Keukenhof Gardens of Amsterdam are open but just eight weeks each spring. This year a special concert April 24 will celebrate 70 years of offering the world a rich opportunity to stop and smell the flowers. Steve Gibson C...
Apr 19, 2019•26 min
1. Air Cargo Integrators (ACI) CEO Lionel Smith is surveying the trade show scene at the TIACA Air Cargo Forum that took place in Toronto, Canada, in mid-October 2018. As he looks up and down the aisle, Lionel, at six feet, seven inches tall, enjoys a unique vantage point. Born in Kenya and on the scene in Dubai cargo for the past several decades, Smith is a transportation executive that stands out head and shoulders above the crowd. He joins a cadre of special people we have known during our 44...
Apr 18, 2019•17 min
Bill Boesch is an air cargo pioneer but also a dreamer & doer across a distinguished and exemplary 40 plus year career. Bill served as President of American Airlines Cargo where he put that carrier on the world stage during the Robert Crandall era. Bill is also a key logistician for US military forces who during the Iran & Iraq conflict created methodologies that delivered the goods while saving lives. For his effort Bill was awarded The Medal of Freedom at a ceremony in New York harbor ...
Apr 15, 2019•17 min
Meet Francesco Parisi Up Close & Personal When Parisi went into business in 1807 Napoleon was alive and signed a peace treaty with Russia; Ludwig von Beethoven debuted his Symphony Number 4 and Robert Fulton launched his first steamboat on the Hudson River in New York. Today in 2019, the quiet and unassuming Francesco Parisi (third generation) is a constant force for good as former President of FIATA and active builder of global transportation. Go up close and personal at FIATA World Congres...
Apr 10, 2019•18 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Looking At Latest Numbers Asia was full of mixed signals as airfreight stakeholders entered the second quarter of 2019 hoping for an upturn after a slow start to the year. Ode To Fala Dogs are subject of poetry, best friends of Presidents and First Ladies, and on the half shell upcoming at CNS Miami. Kicking The Cans In Canada There is a great if not slightly unknown, and perhaps overlooked industry event, that meets in Montreal Canada as ULD CARE opens its 32nd Annual Conference September 16-19...
Apr 08, 2019•17 min
Right now and for some few brief few days ahead, the breathtakingly beautiful cherry blossoms in Washington DC, also herald the "Cherry Shipping Season" & United Cargo says it is ready! Turkish Airlines Cargo set to takeoff big time as New Istanbul Airport opens.. Like A Virgin..Brazil gets Virgin Cargo focus with Sao Paulo debut in 2020.. Women are recognized as leaders in the American trucking industry.
Apr 05, 2019•14 min
How Deep Is The Ocean? FIATA Guide to Best Container Practices just a click away! Turkish Cargo moves belly lift to new airport in Istanbul April 6..... CNS Partnership at Doral National Miami May 5-7, an exclusive "talking heads" sessions preview. Fokko Doyan Captain of the Clouds, moves more than air cargo.
Apr 02, 2019•18 min
Peg of My Heart Speaking to Peggy Guse United Airlines’ Managing Director of Cargo Marketing, Customer Service and Alliances in March 2019 during International Women’s Month we were struck by how closely her discussion of the team’s accomplishments and ambitions dovetailed with the theme of the worldwide celebration of “Women’s Day on March 6: “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change.” Warm Up Your Short Wave Radio! Later we climb onboard the high road to adventure aboard the China Clipper...
Mar 31, 2019•26 min
We write about women in air cargo, about female aviators, and because we acknowledge women as consummate multi-taskers, we must remember to ask: what else can you do? What else do you do? Invariably, women in every industry perform several and various functions in order not to go ‘hysterical,’ a term loved dearly by detractors of feminists like Betty Friedan as it improperly classified and deflected from that general feeling of malaise suffered by so many women who were not put to good use beyon...
Mar 25, 2019•17 min
It's happening in Wiesbaden and some other airfields. Now just as Air Cargo Europe Trade Show ends in Munich June 7, in Berlin and elsewhere in Germany a nine day event will begin on June 10 as The Berlin Airlift will be recalled with a giant fly-in by more than 40 vintage aircraft that saved that city during the blockade of 1948-49. The 70th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Airlift is shaping up as a world event. For people today in air cargo, and for people that love aviation everywhere, h...
Mar 24, 2019•16 min
Two powerful women serving in key posts for international logistics are profiled. The technological challenges facing the logistics industry and the celebration of International Women’s Month were on the agenda when FlyingTypers had a chat with the always insightful Cathy Morrow Roberson, Founder and Head Analyst of Atlanta-based Logistics Trends & Insights LLC.. Zeynep Kasikci, Head of Airfreight at DB Schenker Turkey is absolutely spot on about what is new and next, and she has been at the...
Mar 22, 2019•14 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Jan Krems President of United Airlines Worldwide Cargo is on top of the world. Today United Airlines is the number one belly cargo lifter in the United States. Jan talks about the drivers that make an airline cargo resource great. He also reveals what it means to have a true cargo heart. Later we take a break with Episode 3 of Speed Gibson an old time radio aviation series from 1937, that is featured here every two weeks. Enjoy the ride!
Mar 20, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 15
IATA Cargo conducts a mandated annual meeting of its airline members every year as it also does elsewhere for its passenger carrier members. For 2019, the air cargo event titled euphemistically "World Cargo Symposium" (WCS), was held at the Iconic and over the top Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore, the place with the swimming pool that spans across the top of three 57-floor skyscraper buildings. There were plenty of how to and what will we do session meetings amongst industry stakeholders at W...
Mar 18, 2019•19 min•Season 1Ep. 14
After India's Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal stepped down on March 1, ending 25 years with a whimper, aviation pundits in India were not surprised. Fliers and other aviation observers will agree that not too long ago, Jet had set the gold standard for service and excellence. But over the last few years, its quarterly losses had grown as had its woes. In just ten years, the company with close to 50 percent market share went down to less than 15. As the U.S. celebrates Women’s History Month in ...
Mar 09, 2019•12 min•Season 1Ep. 12
March update underscore that numbers post CNY( Lunar New Year) are flat, but end of US/China trade dust up could be near. Profile of Thomas Uschtrin, United Cargo Sales Manager Germany,reveal some big ideas for team and business development. Thomas enjoys his work, plays piano seriously, and loves the forests of Germany.While we were weekending air cargo led the way into commercial shipping in space delivering 400 pounds to the International Space Station
Mar 07, 2019•17 min•Season 1Ep. 11
We celebrate International Women’s Month with a good story that has panned out into a great one.At Air Cargo Europe 2017 United Airlines Cargo President Jan Krems and Lufthansa Cargo Executive Board Member & CEO Peter Gerber met and hosted an afternoon soiree to celebrate the signing of a landmark air cargo joint venture. Stepping up to the plate charged with delivering on the promises, hopes and dreams are two smart, high-powered female cargo executives named Lori Lively, Cargo Alliances Ma...
Mar 01, 2019•18 min•Season 1Ep. 9
The UK exit of Brexit is just one month away. While debate rages here are some basic truths and warnings. Elsewhere whilst attending an air cargo conference we actually found a shipper. Rare breed at these things but this guy had something to say!
Feb 28, 2019•13 min
The always engaging Washington DC based Airforwarders Association met in Las Vegas and held their annual Air Cargo Conference February 10-12. Here is an inside look at a gathering that underscores women in air cargo as the first order of business while moving the marble in security, digitalization and new technologies. AfA prospers greater cooperation with partners and customers.
Feb 26, 2019•21 min
