Cathay Cargo and Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) have launched a pilot scheme allowing the airline to place its rates and capacity directly onto the forwarder's systems.
Cathay said that by connecting systems through APIs, K+N users would be able to access space, rates, and secure instant confirmation from Cathay Cargo’s inventory.
The pilot scheme was first rolled out in the US and latterly in Europe and represents the first time that Cathay Cargo has enabled booking functionality to be accessed from a freight forwarder’s host system.
Cathay director cargo Tom Owen said: “By embracing new technologies and digitalising our systems, the pilot scheme shows that we can work with our key partners to improve the booking experience and increase their operational efficiencies.”
Holger Ketz, global head of air logistics network & carrier management at K+N added: “By having direct access to Cathay Cargo’s booking platform from our transport management system we can offer a more efficient and user-friendly booking experience for our customers.”
The carrier added that the roll out of the pilot scheme was the latest development in its digitalisation efforts.
“The successful implementation of this API integration demonstrates our commitment to embracing new technologies to enhance transparency, trust and the overall user experience, as well as offering more efficient and effective management of global accounts," said Owen.
"Our digitalisation programme will help Cathay Cargo stay at the forefront of the industry and meet the evolving needs of our customers as we work towards our vision of becoming the world’s most customer-centric air-cargo service brand. ”
Cathay Cargo aims to develop the API’s functionality and make it available to more global account customers this year.
