DB Schenker has expanded the number of airlines it has digital connectivity to for online bookings through a new partnership with cargo.one.
The forwarder has in recent months been creating API connections with a series of its airline partners as it looks to create efficiencies in the booking process.
And today DB Schenker announced it had formed a partnership with online booking portal cargo.one that would give it digital access to the capacity of 50 airlines.
The connectivity between DB Schenker and cargo.one is based on API calls from DB Schenker’s transport management system for availability and pricing of capacities, as well as booking and booking confirmations. Those calls are triggered and fed back to the transport management system in DB Schenker.
The forwarder said that when it digitally responds to a quote request from a customer it will inquire with a larger number of airlines - four times as many, on average.
“Around 75% of DB Schenker’s global airfreight volume is carried on our top 20 carriers. We had already set up direct API interfaces with a significant proportion. Now we are connected to almost all of them," said DB Schenker spokesperson Mario Arnold.
The carrier had previously created API connections with nine airlines: Cargolux (November 2022), Qatar Airways Cargo (May 2023), Lufthansa Cargo (June 2023), Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (August 2023), American Airlines Cargo (November 2023), Cathay Cargo (December 2023), Emirates SkyCargo (April 2024), Avianca Cargo (May 2024).
The forwarder added that digital connections and the ability to provide instant quotes and capacity has become increasingly important as "global supply chain disruptions have become a normality" and e-commerce demand for air transport keeps rising.
Thorsten Meincke, global board member for air & ocean freight, DB Schenker, said: “We continue to digitalise transportation by establishing solutions that are highly demanded on the market.
"By boosting our access to available airline capacities, we save time for our customers and make processes faster, smoother, and more efficient for them. cargo.one is the perfect fit for this endeavor as they bring profound expertise in managing the massive amount of real-time data to the game.”
Christa Koenen, global board member for information technology and digitalisation, added: “Efficiency gains accomplished through IT help to make the entire logistics industry more resource efficient.
"The more carriers DB Schenker connects to digitally, and thus automates and optimises processes, the better the final choice for our customers will be. The concept is comparable with automated last-minute deals from airlines or travel agents.”
