Back Row ltor— Eric J. Wilson, director Asia cargo sales; Alex Clayton, general manager vertical sales; Neil O’Sullivan, regional manager cargo sales EMEIA and Marco Rincker, area manager sales & service Germany & Austria. Front Row ltor—Michael Hatfield, general manager strategic accounts; Ray Curtis, VP Global Sales; Andy Kirschner, director cargo sales-Americas and Olivier de Causans, regional manager EMEIA.

    “It’s our time to get together in an atmosphere of extending thanks, working together, comparing notes, and looking ahead,” said Ray Curtis, Delta Air Lines Cargo VP Global Sales, as the big Atlanta-based carrier came out running for 2016 this week as it hosts its Annual Global Sales Meeting.
     The entire Delta Cargo front line—including global sales, marketing, and service teams—are here for a brief few days, along with GSAs worldwide, to ramp up a variety of public and private sessions meant to set the tone for what the carrier sees as an expansive new year ahead.
     In his keynote speech to the 200 cargo executives in attendance, Ray Curtis said:
     “We have to show who we are.
     “In 2016 Delta is now the second largest USA flag carrier and cargo is a major contribution to that success.
     “But we always need to be focused on the simple point: why would a customer choose us?
     “That is always the question and to my mind the answer is the Delta difference, which always puts the customer as top priority in every thing this airline does.
     “We need to take ownership, lead change, and celebrate our successes.
     ‘That also means, for example, we don’t promise what we cannot deliver.
     “We must look at every challenge as an opportunity.
     “But all of us should stay safe.
     “You people are the heart and soul of Delta Cargo,” Ray Curtis said.

Always Ray

     No doubt, with that last sweet and incredibly decent comment Ray Curtis exhibits why he has easily and steadily moved upward during his past three-plus decades in air cargo.
     From the time he began as an airport and regional sales representative at Northwest Orient Cargo to an even more illustrious and certainly more colorful and wider ranging career as top cargo management at Delta, Ray retains a down-to-earth, sleeves rolled up, “let’s get the job done” attitude that has earned him the respect of freight forwarders around the world, not to mention the even more important friendships he has forged along the way.
     “The Delta culture has long been recognized as a driving force of Delta’s success,” Ray said.
     “But it is the employees of this great company that provide the basis for the partnerships that we have worked hard to develop around the world.
     “I am incredibly fortunate to be a colleague of so many talented and customer-focused employees.”

International Markets

     On the strength of its network and growing mail business, Delta Cargo declares it ‘owns’ the domestic USA belly lift market, while elsewhere (namely in Latin America) the carrier has climbed the ladder to the number two position behind American Cargo.
     Commenting on global markets, Curtis said “the main factors for the changes we all see in air cargo are linked to the ‘maturing’ of advanced technologies, adding greater efficiencies and taking out costs of transportation.
     “Add to that modal shifts and geography,” Ray added.
     “We are seeing vast changes in Asia and on the transatlantic with more time-viable offerings than ever before. Moreover, the type and size of goods shipped is always in play, as evidenced with ‘near shoring’ and relocated plants in places like Mexico, which require a more customized and dynamic approach to the movement of products—especially to and from the U.S. market. ”
     “Despite all the change, still today an estimated 70-75 percent of global air cargo fits on non-freighter aircraft,” Curtis said.
     “I am optimistic as 2016 unfolds, even though the markets will remain challenging with excess capacity, foreign exchange impact, and overall global economic conditions. Delta will continue to have the infrastructure and people to deliver a superior and predictable product worldwide.”

Perishables as a Foundation Business

     “Perishable products are a key component of our business and we will continue to make investments supporting the efficient and reliable transportation for these products in line with the needs of our customers,” Curtis said.
     “In fact, we have increased the staffing of our product team, allowing us to more keenly focus on the needs and to grow our business.”
     “At Delta Cargo, worldwide cooler facilities are set up to support the temperature control environments required to store perishables in transit and on arrival.”
     Ray said that Delta has invested in a state-of-the-art cooler in its Detroit facility, which features two drive-through doors with pallet-capable storage and increased capacity for shipments of pharmaceuticals, flowers, fish, and seafood as well as fruits and vegetables.

Role of Technology

     Casting a wider net, Ray Curtis noted that “Delta Cargo continues to be a leader when it comes to technology, as evidenced by having one of the highest eAWB levels in the industry; this has been achieved through collaboration and by partnering with our customers, and by finding win-win solutions that drive greater efficiencies.”
     “Above all, every member of our team understands that we are here with only one purpose: to never forget how important our customers, business partners, and alliance partners are.
     "To say this once again, our people and their commitment to excellence will continue to differentiate Delta Cargo in this industry for years to come.”
Geoffrey/Flossie