Chinese forwarder Sinotrans has launched a direct-to-customer air cargo booking platform through a partnership with Freightos.
The platform, which is offered through Sinoair, will allow shippers to pull global contract rates, get dynamic pricing or request ad-hoc prices and receive instant booking confirmation from over 10 airlines integrated with Freightos.
"With this move, Sinoair introduces the world’s first direct to customer air e-booking platform," the companies said.
"Unlike existing e-booking platforms which cater specifically to the freight forwarding community, Sinoair offers both agents and shippers all eBooking benefits."
Sinoair deputy general manager Liu Xin-Yang said: "Sinoair is proud to be leading the air cargo industry online and continuously raising the bar. As Asia’s top air freight forwarder, we take our responsibility to provide a best-in-class air cargo experience for all our customers seriously. Freightos is our trusted partner enabling us to offer eBooking to all, something the air cargo industry has never seen before.”
Freightos chief executive Zvi Schreiber added: "E-booking is something that passenger travel has experienced since the 1960’s. Today Sinoair is introducing it to the air cargo masses looking for a 21st century air freight experience. It is an honor to work with such a forward thinking organisation with the courage to shift an enormous part of the air cargo industry online."
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Last week, Air France KLM and freight forwarder Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) directly connected their space booking systems in what they claimed was an industry first.
The two companies said that by connecting their systems, shippers would be able to gain direct access to Air France KLM capacity through K+N.
The development of digital booking offerings has been developing at a rapid pace over the last few years, with forwarders and startups launching services.
However, it is only recently that forwarders have been directly linking their customer portals and systems into the airlines’ system to offer real-time digital booking connections that instantly update as supply and demand fluctuate.
AirBridgeCargo, CargoLogicAir, IAG, Finnair and Lufthansa have previously hooked their systems into booking portals through APIs, although these are neutral booking portals rather than full service freight forwarders as is the case with K+N and Air France KLM.
