Vital Views 1975-2015  

    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' Senior Editor.
     Here Richard recalls the views of executives over the four decades.
   

Christian Ureta, LAN Cargo’s CEO, nailed down a basic message: “Most industries normally face generated by the natural dynamics of the market. New technologies, product innovation, consumer trends, regulatory changes, are some of the factors that make each industry unique. The changes force companies to constantly look for ways to adapt to new environments. The quest for adaptability has become as critical as achieving growth and operational efficiency.”

William D. Clarke, former director of cargo planning at Trans World Airlines, called attention to the following: “When deregulation occurred in 1978, the pricing environment began to change. At first, the changes were not pronounced as forwarders and carriers felt their way through the new-found freedom from regulation, in the past few years, however, the pace has picked up considerably so that the formalized tariff rates are used by fewer and fewer customers. For some carriers off-the-books traffic accounts for as much as 75 percent of the total volumes transported.”

Robert L. Jones, Jr. on the subject of dealing with the customer, the chairman and chief executive officer of Alliance Airlines, had this to say: “You want to avoid problems with the customer, so you make sure that you settle all issues before the contract is signed. After that, all else is easy.”