United Airlines is steeling itself for a worst-case scenario that leisure and business travelers will not resume flying anytime soon, even with coronavirus restrictions lifted.
Flexport CTO James Chen articulates his vision of the future of global trade technology.
United Airlines isn’t sugar-coating the airline industry’s economic reality. United expects to survive the coronavirus crisis, but business will be slim for months to come.
Airlines have suffered mightily from the loss of passenger traffic as a result of the pandemic. But there also has been a demand for their services to move freight, including an area that has always been taken to the skies to move from point A to point B: medical supplies. On this week’s Drilling Deep […]
Watchdog report lists “priority issues” requiring agency attention.
The logistics sector specializes in figuring out creative solutions to transportation and trade impediments, and a pandemic is the ultimate test. Check out what DB Schenker and Airbus are doing to increase airfreight capacity.
Combined transportation and logistics powerhouse grows gross profit despite impact from COVID-19.
American is slashing expenses, but not fast enough to stop big profit losses. Here are the details on its first quarter and what it expects going forward.
Boeing took a big loss in the first quarter and the rest of the year doesn’t bode better for a company plagued by ongoing technical problems with key products, and now facing little demand for aircraft.
Alaska Airlines may be late to the party when it comes to using passenger aircraft as freighters, but it wants to be an early adopter of using passenger seats for storage.
COVID-19 pandemic challenges American seed producers to secure airfreight capacity to meet spring planting.
Secondary airports are increasingly being used by all-cargo carriers supporting the government’s coronavirus logistics mission.
Virgin Atlantic has an extensive cargo network using passenger aircraft that are flying without passengers.
Airlines fly people, they don’t make things. Guess again. Delta is making portable human pods for the military and, along with American Airlines, is making face shields.
Southwest Airlines is not used to losing money in any quarter or full year, but that will change in 2020.
Drones have taken on added importance with the coronavirus pandemic, offering ways to do tasks faster and without dangerous physical contact.
If it flies, it can be a cargo plane for coronavirus relief missions. Planes are being put to unconventional uses to support the coronavirus response, including cargo-only passenger aircraft with boxes in the seats or on the floor and heavylift cargo planes used by aircraft manufacturers to move wings and other aircraft sections.
Global freight forwarder attributes most of the 23.2% year-over-year first-quarter earnings drop to impact of COVID-19 pandemic .
There are more ways to help businesses struggling during the coronavirus crisis than loans and direct payments. The Australian government has operationalized an international airfreight support program to restore supply chains for perishables that were broken by the pandemic, threatening to kill business for many exporters.
FAA cuts tower hours for air traffic control, but airports should continue to function smoothly.
Delta Air Lines officials believe they have the reputation for customer service, reliability, and brand experience that will carry them through the pandemic. Now, they are making hard choices about the future.
Domestic airlines want to put cargo in passenger seats or stacked on the cabin floor, as some foreign counterparts are already doing. But they first need authorization from U.S. authorities.
“We expect that more shippers will shift from just-in-time supply chains to just-in-case supply chains,” U.S. CEO Mark McCullough said.
Delta Air Lines is increasing the number of scheduled cargo flights between Asia and three U.S. cities, using its passenger aircraft as substitutes for freighters.
Delta is raising huge amounts of capital and cutting costs by half as it sets the stage for a new world with less travel.
Delta is the first of the domestic passenger airlines to release earnings since the coronavirus pandemic spread globally and the picture isn’t pretty.
United Airlines is getting $9.5 billion in U.S. government aid, but it still needs more money to stay afloat so it’s selling stock and borrowing.
The airline industry is considered essential to keeping the creaky economy going, but pilots, flight attendants and ground workers don’t always feel they are treated as essential when it comes to protection from the coronavirus.
Airlines and analysts are lowering expectations for a quick bounce back in business this summer because there still is so much uncertainty about the coronavirus.
The duty deferment applies to qualifying importers facing “significant financial hardship,” Customs and Border Protection said.
A major pilots union is criticizing airlines for allegedly skirting recommended best practices to protect workers from the coronavirus.
Radio frequency identification has matured in terms of its cost effectiveness and efficiency over the past decade, the company says.
Etihad will operate a limited international route structure for the time being, but is busy running passenger and cargo charters and getting ahead on maintenance.
Lufthansa Group is putting a bunch of long-haul planes in deep storage. A smaller version of itself is busy transporting cargo and scooping up stranded travelers around the world.
The U.S. government, hospitals and aid groups are relying on UPS, Atlas Air and other airfreight to speed deliveries of critical supplies.
When you can’t move it yourself, call the Russians. They’ve got the AN-124 airlift that can move giant loads like mining equipment, industrial machinery and, in this case, rocket components.
The current $61 billion set-aside for the domestic airline industry left out the forwarders.
The FAA is making it easier for airlines to survive the current economic crisis by quickly ruling on how to carry cargo in the passenger cabin and relaxing takeoff and landing quotas.
Prominent transportation leaders are part of a business task force offering ideas on when and how to lift coronavirus restrictions.
American will penalize shippers who don’t show up or cancel a booking at the last minute, while Delta is adding more capacity for its scheduled cargo routes to Asia.
The WHO is trying to reduce the chaos of countries competing for coronavirus medical supplies by acting as a logistics control center.
Less-than-containerload services offer forwarders and their shippers an alternative to more expensive air freight and full-container transport services, industry experts say.
The Supply Chain Intelligence Center pinpoints trouble spots on the nation’s highways and ports to U.S. humanitarian relief providers responding to the health crisis.
Airlines and employees gave a big sigh of relief when Congress recently passed a major industry bailout, but feelings turned to frustration when the Trump administration decided to limit the cash payouts.
The airline industry is poised to shrink considerably as revenues evaporate and they are forced to cut costs to the bone.
The World Health Organization has air hubs in Doha and Addis Ababa and is pumping humanitarian resources and workers around the world in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Cargo has had a window view on some international airlines. Now U.S. airlines are looking to load boxes in the passenger cabin when operating in cargo-only mode. The next step — remove the seats altogether.
Problem-solving supply chain bottlenecks is the way to build customer loyalty, freight experts say.
LATAM Airlines and Qatar Airways are maximizing freighter deployments.
If you need coronavirus gear, who you gonna call? Logistics busters!
While staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic, catch up on classic — and not-so-classic — movies prominently featuring modes of transportation.
The global logistics giant said its Q1 profits among its five business divisions suffered from the coronavirus upheaval.
Delta is expanding its Roadie delivery partnership to include packages that weigh three times more than the original limit
Drone use for package deliveries is expected to remain largely grounded by regulatory and infrastructural hurdles during the next few years, according to Frost and Sullivan.
Cargo planes are in high demand these days because they are the fastest way to get vital medical equipment and supplies to health care workers trying to save the lives of those infected with the coronavirus. But inflexible regulations and bureaucrats can undermine that speed.
The idea of using passenger planes as freighters would have been considered farfetched in February since the main deck can’t be loaded with large pallets. But when there’s a pandemic and a shortage of cargo space, the logistics community gets creative and these planes are being booked at a rapid pace.
While FEMA is working to airlift medical supplies from international sources, the White House doesn’t want to share equipment with other countries that may be in need. But don’t blame logistics providers like FedEx, which are executing on their logistics contracts.
Third-party logistics providers engaged in international trade are facing the difficult decision of whether to thin staff or even close altogether in the face of a prolonged economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
UPS offers companies a full suite of supply chain services. They can pick what they need or get a turnkey solution. Now the third-party logistics provider is playing the same role for FEMA.
Tough times call for drastic measures and Lufthansa sees the writing on the economic wall. It’s wasting no time shrinking for a smaller future.
Members of the Washington, D.C.-based National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America interviewed by American Shipper this week generally praised CBP for permitting the flow of legitimate trade across the continent.
Boeing waited much longer to close its South Carolina plant than ones in Washington. Airbus has closed more facilities, while others continue to operate.
Airlines are bleeding money, but a requirement that they give cash refunds for canceled flights could make things worse. Airlines are cutting more of their domestic networks to save money.
Alaska Airlines is supporting the 100 Million Mask Challenge with its freighter capacity.
Passenger aircraft are being used to fly essential cargo between continents. Learn more about what the airlines are doing to survive and to assist key supply chains.
The Trump administration is working to accelerate deliveries of medical supplies from overseas to address shortages at healthcare facilities around the U.S., but doesn’t want American companies to export any protective gear to other countries.
Qatar Airways has deployed more full freighters and passenger aircraft in cargo mode to multiple markets, including India.
The Justice Department said joint logistics operations among five American medical supply distributors to provide protective medical gear to virus hot spots does not violate antitrust law.
Airlines are in survival mode and could permanently rid themselves of older aircraft in effort to help financial recovery.
FedEx provides a rather dim near-term outlook on operations and announces cost savings and balance sheet actions to preserve liquidity.
Dealing with a crisis requires innovation and Delta Air Lines doing that on several fronts. Now it is switching gears and making face shields for hospital workers.
A pilot’ union says airlines need to be held more accountable for protecting cockpit crews from the coronavirus, but at the corporate level all airlines appear to be taking health guidelines very seriously.
No one was prepared for the global shipping disruption caused by COVID-19, but Mike Meierkort said Damco’s resiliency program is “the closest thing to having a playbook.”
Atlas Air and National Airlines are handling relief missions for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it will do its part to keep imports of medical gear flowing efficiently into the country.
Freight forwarders “luv” Southwest Airlines, but it remains to be seen if they’re ready to charter an entire airplane versus using regularly scheduled passenger flights.
Airlines are seen as a critical link even as passenger travel sinks to record lows and carriers downsize fleets.
Another government-underwritten load of medical supplies is headed to Southern California to help respond to the coronavirus.
Assistant Commissioner Todd Owen said additional reimbursable services agreements help Customs and Border Protection facilitate commerce during COVID-19 pandemic.
FedEx (NYSE: FDX) and its subsidiary TNT International are placing surcharges on all international parcel and freight shipments. The changes go into effect April 6. The changes were described as temporary. In its announcement of the changes, FedEx said it was still operating under various states of emergency and shelter-in-place rules around the world. “Air […]
The global pandemic is forcing airlines into a protective cocoon to survive, but many workers are feeling the effects first-hand.
“This contract extension provides stability for both UPS and our pilots as we jointly face unprecedented times in our industry,” said IPA Union President and Capt. Robert Travis.
The demand for coronavirus medical supplies is so great that passenger aircraft are being repurposed for cargo service, logistics companies are chartering those airplanes and full freighters, and governments are setting up air pipelines with logistics partners.
CEVA and DHL free themselves from contractual constraints to realign operations and facilitate pricing flexibility during pandemic.
FEMA is trying to overcome the shortage in coronavirus supplies by accelerating airfreight shipments to the U.S.
Most airlines using passenger planes for cargo-only operations are doing so on a charter basis. Qatar Airways will operate scheduled rotations to and from China.
The head of the Airforwarders Association says preparing for business impacts from natural disasters, like COVID-19, requires “a lot of practice and uncomfortable preparation.”
Pilots can fly aircraft with expired medical certificates for three extra months because the FAA doesn’t want to burden healthcare workers or increase chances for spreading the coronavirus.
The Berlin Airlift saved West Berlin from the Russian occupation after World War II. Now , FEMA has organized a coronavirus airlift t to save lives in U.S. cities.
The airline industry’s recovery will be more U-shaped than V-shaped, experts warn.
The February downturn in air cargo volumes presages even worse performance in the coming months, according to analysts.
New Hawaii travel restrictions force airlines to make additional flight cutbacks.
Demand to move goods during the pandemic crisis is high, but available air cargo space is low. Passenger airlines are finding a robust market.
Roadrunner seeks voluntary delisting from the NYSE as it continues its reorganization and focuses on asset-light offerings.
Airlines expected to increase use of truck capacity to move cargo around the country.
Airlines were among the big industry winners when the smoke lifted and Congress finalized a $2 trillion economic stimulus package to deal with economic fallout from the coronavirus.
One of the world’s largest suppliers of disposable rubber gloves may resume exports to the U.S. after resolving forced labor concerns, Customs and Border Protection said.
Airlines and airports have a symbiotic relationship, but there is tension over airlines’ interest in waiving airport charges and taxes during the pandemic recession.
The International Air Transport Association had sobering news about the financial prospects for airlines this year: a quarter-trillion dollars in lost revenue.
FedEx is using its air-and-ground express network to delivery COVID-19 test specimens to labs, while UPS used its expertise to help the federal government set up the drive-through program
