The
year 2015 marks our 40th year in the world of air cargo news
reporting—first as Air
Cargo News and now as FlyingTypers. In
2015 we are fortunate to present the writings of the 102-year-old
Richard Malkin, who remains the first air cargo reporter in
history (circa 1942) and now serves as FlyingTypers'
SeniorEditor. Here
Richard recalls the views of
executives over the four decades.
1997
Francois
Bachelet, executive vice president and chief operating officer,
Air France Cargo, in a display of candor, wrote: “Airlines
and forwarders, in my opinion, have one inherent weakness:
a lack of mutual trust, and as a direct consequence, a failure
to communicate in an honest and open way. This is our Achilles
heel. We regard each other with suspicion, reacting violently
each time one or the other of us crosses a well-defined line.
There is outrage at the notion of an airline approaching a
shipper directly. I fail to understand why.”
1996
Alan Chambers, managing director,
Virgin Atlantic Cargo, stated: “The problems facing
the air cargo industry are many, an they require some dramatic
and innovative solutions if it is to prosper in the new millennium.
We all know the old joke about air cargo taking six hours
to cross the Atlantic and then another six days to cross town,
and we all know that it isn’t a joke, it is all so often
a fact. Carriers have to become leaner and meaner.”
On March 12, 1998 at the opening of Virgin Atlantic’s
Newark International Airport air cargo facility pictured are
left to right—Alan Chambers, managing director, Virgin
Cargo UK, Angelo Pusateri president cargo, the Americas, Richard
Branson, chairman and founder of the airline and the Virgin
Group and John Ryan, senior vice president marketing and sales.
1987
Henry
W. Kluck, U.S. Cargo manager for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, had
this to say about the airline-cargo agent relationship: “Thinking
back over my many years’ association with the international
air cargo industry, it strikes me that there was always someone
around to refer to an airline-agent relationship as a partnership.
It has been reiterated so many times, even during periods of
disagreement and dispute between direct and indirect air carrier,
that perhaps the use of the word has become somewhat trite like
an old familiar melody.
“Still, what else is it
but a partnership? How else can one describe the commingling
of separate energies to create a seamless service that stretches
thousands of miles? Only a partnership can make it work.”
2004
Isaac
Njankin, former cargo director – North America/Asia for
Brazil’s Varig, argues that the world was moving faster
than ever before, and you can feel and see it. The air cargo
industry is not what it was only a few years ago, and he predicted
that in a few years it will not be what it is today.
If
You Missed Any Of The Previous 3 Issues Of FlyingTypers
Access complete issue by clicking on issue icon or
Access specific articles by clicking on article title
Vital
Views 1975-2015 
Francois
Bachelet, executive vice president and chief operating officer,
Air France Cargo, in a display of candor, wrote: “Airlines
and forwarders, in my opinion, have one inherent weakness:
a lack of mutual trust, and as a direct consequence, a failure
to communicate in an honest and open way. This is our Achilles
heel. We regard each other with suspicion, reacting violently
each time one or the other of us crosses a well-defined line.
There is outrage at the notion of an airline approaching a
shipper directly. I fail to understand why.”
Henry
W. Kluck, U.S. Cargo manager for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, had
this to say about the airline-cargo agent relationship: “Thinking
back over my many years’ association with the international
air cargo industry, it strikes me that there was always someone
around to refer to an airline-agent relationship as a partnership.
It has been reiterated so many times, even during periods of
disagreement and dispute between direct and indirect air carrier,
that perhaps the use of the word has become somewhat trite like
an old familiar melody.
Isaac
Njankin, former cargo director – North America/Asia for
Brazil’s Varig, argues that the world was moving faster
than ever before, and you can feel and see it. The air cargo
industry is not what it was only a few years ago, and he predicted
that in a few years it will not be what it is today.
