Remember “Hair”, the age of Aquarius? There was a Broadway production in 1968, there was Foreman’s film eleven years later and there was and international hit, indirectly connected with the musical, released on March 1st 1969, precisely 55 years ago. The 5th Dimension marked a turning point in music and show-business, when 1968’s events changed the world for a generation or more. We thought it was forever; well, that did not work . . .
     Once more we live in a period of big changes now, whilst running big, unwanted risks: again we wonder where have all the flowers gone? As it happens, not all flowers are lost: not too far from the ground, almost in our neighborhood, there are positive and hopeful happenings. Limiting ourselves to air cargo, logistics and the technology, that makes it all much better and more promising for the future: this is today’s tale for our readers.
     In trying to do so we start from a place we can reach from home with less than an hour’s train ride. And this is where The Traffic Club of New York (TCNY) comes into the picture. TCNY held its 118th Annual Dinner on February 22nd at the Hilton Midtown Manhattan Grand Ballroom. This time and place, we believe, represents a positive turning point in our environment full of trade transactions and likewise wonders. Perhaps not the age of Aquarius in sea and air cargo, but surely a positive (re)inception. We should like to report some of the statements that were made on this occasion. We hope this will give our readers the opportunity to make their own mind about the progress we are envisaging in a not so distant future.
     TCNY has a broad-shouldered membership, comprised of people from numerous railroads, ocean carriers, motor carriers, intermodal marketing companies, airports, freight brokers, customs brokers, insurers, transportation lawyers, manufacturers and professionals, who deal with the logistics industry daily. The institute has changed over the years, but despite time and the river it is a lively, engaged group that in 2024 bestows educational grants, advances learning, helps charities and provides a venue several times a year for networking and social gatherings.
     Little wonder that the phenom “Most Trusted Logistics Payment Plan”, PayCargo was front and center at TCNY, where Todd Pigeon and his PayCargo colleague Isaac William Adams, went all the way and wowed the crowd, in a New York minute to be sure, saying: “PayCargo commercial payments solution is for the Ocean, Air, Trucking and Rail industries. PayCargo offers electronic tools that create significant efficiencies by automating the payments process with multiple financing options, dispute resolution, systems integration, email alerting, and report capabilities. PayCargo’s financing options allow companies to enjoy advanced funding of Receivables and Shippers to qualify for additional credit terms on their payables.”
     This is where the parallel with the Age of Aquarius spontaneously came to mind. You could say: what about the audience? “PayCargo stole the spotlight, fostering connections and collaborations while showcasing our innovative payment solutions,” Adams and Todd Pigeon said, adding: “As we reflect upon this impactful evening, PayCargo and TCNY pave the way for ongoing innovation in logistics, promising a future of seamless transactions and continued success.”
     Let us draw an instant picture of the background where all this is taking place, which also helps in terms of why we consider this to be a turning point. Since 1907 TCNY has held an annual dinner, which became a prominent Club event, suspended only once, that was during World War II. The Traffic Club of New York began April 10th 1906, after Congress passed the Hepburn Act and the Carmack Amendment, that among other things, required interstate carriers to issue through bills of lading, which gave the Interstate Commerce Commission powers to fix maximum rates. Speaking of changes, that was a step that opened new horizons on the market, probably not only in this area of the world.
     The first official meeting of the TCNY was held on May 9th 1906, to ‘cultivate closer relations between carrier and shipper and promote their best interest’. Membership and annual dues were set at $10.00 for resident members and $5.00 for non-resident members. The early home for the club and the first Annual Dinner, set on February 16th 1907, was held at the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, located on the 34th Street corner that today is the exact spot where the Empire State Building stands. Speaking of milestones in our history, that is one to remember.
     TCNY’s Annual Dinner, which today costs as much as $250 a seat, in 1907 was 4 bucks a person for dinner, tariff and tip included. TCNY has had many homes in Manhattan, including in 1934 the Hotel Biltmore, constructed by The Grand Central Railroad after they were done creating Grand Central Station. The Biltmore rose at Madison Avenue and 43rd Street. Interestingly the Biltmore for a time was also home to The Wings Club that began there in 1942.
     The lobby of the Biltmore featured a café with a distinctive clock. For many years “Meet me under the clock” were words understood by the captains of the railroads, truckers, airlines, and other important and wealthy maniacs as the place to gather and be seen. If you were there, it is hard to ever imagine it would one day be gone. But here is a picture taken in 1976 of some air cargo people, including myself and our editor Dick Logan inside the Biltmore Wings Club at our very first Air Cargo News Roundtable. It appears we are unwittingly becoming part of our own history . . .

     The Wings Club and the Traffic Club at the Biltmore with their extensive artwork and comfy old leather chairs, and the overall service, was a sanctuary space for generations. Note the exquisite, framed picture study of Amelia Earhart over our shoulders that day at The Wings Club. I often have wondered what became of the art on the walls, when they demolished the entire inside of the Biltmore. Later the club loved to meet up at TCNY, when the club moved inside upstairs at Grand Central Station. The Wings Club, which today meets at the Yale Club, moved down the block upstairs on Vanderbilt, but the days when people would support this kind of Club with its own quarters and food services by the late 1990’s was over forever.
     After the Wings Club left the Biltmore, I recall having gotten to know Jack Kent Cooke with my writing and photography, when he owned The Chrysler Building, informally inspiring me to explore the space to see if the Wings Club might move to the top of the building, where those pointy windows light up the night sky, where the old Chrysler Dining Room and some other space had lain empty and unused for years. That went nowhere and in retrospect probably for the better as things worked out.
     Now in 2024 the monthly or semi-monthly meetings for these Clubs continue and as mentioned earlier much of the outreach work of the Clubs and support of their membership is welcomed and supported. Everybody it seems just got very busy into their own thing. We were busy at work with our cargo publication, covering the world as best as we can, and working on special projects including saving The LaGuardia Marine Air Terminal, where international aviation started in 1940.
     During that time in Grand Central Station we spent hours with my friend the late preservationist and splendid New Yorker Brendan Gill, who was trying to save Grand Central Station. Brendan was a pillar of strength, very well connected; he knew his stuff and was willing to put up with us primitives and was always a kind patient man and a great help. For some reason he never allowed me to approach Jackie Kennedy to help save MAT the way that lovely First Lady did supporting Brendan by appearing for him to save Grand Central Station!
     We would often meet with Tony Funnell from Pan Am at the Club where he came up with the phrase “Pumping Traffic” that we have used in our media as a brand of news ever since. Thinking about these events today, more than 100 years since its founding, the TCNY remains a successful, prestigious Club. Nice to live a dress-up bow-tie evening and reminisce and laugh with others in their finest one more once.
     That is precisely where PayCargo landed a few days ago and this is where the new beginning starts in our view. PayCargo is revolutionizing the way to pay freight in 2024; they inspired everyone including your reporter to think bigger with determination and energy. It was like a tonic signaling to not miss the glamour and the history steeped in the next Traffic Club of New York event.
     Just one week later, on February 29th at Coral Gables, Florida PayCargo announced “a partnership with Rippey AI, an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven company that produces automation solutions for freight forwarders/NVOCC, 3PLs, ocean carriers, trucking companies, and shippers.” This is how Eduardo del Riego, PayCargo, CEO, epitomized the achievement: “Through our partnership with Rippey AI, we are looking to utilize AI-based technology to connect two critical parts of the supply chain that will drive even more efficiency across the industry – invoice automation and transaction processing.”
     In PayCargo’s own words: “PayCargo and Rippey AI plan to use their expertise in both invoice automation and payment processing to take that technology a step further by automating the payment transaction for the payer and receiver after an invoice has been issued.”
     “For years we have enabled logistics and supply chain companies to drive efficiency and better engage with their customers by using AI technology to automate manual processes like creating shipments, generating quotes and answering common customer service related questions,” said Matt Motsick, Founder and CEO, Rippey AI. “The ability to innovate on the transaction process for both payables and receivables with PayCargo will ensure we continue to drive innovation across the industry.”
     Now we come to the statement released by PayCargo that made us think of a new Age of Aquarius: “PayCargo’s cloud-based payments network enables payers to quickly and securely pay air and ocean carriers, maritime ports, ground handlers, freight forwarders, and customs brokers, among others. PayCargo integrates with over 50 leading Transportation Management Systems (TMS), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and Terminal Operating Systems (TOS) entities across various transport modes: Ocean, Air, Rail, and Trucking. Today, PayCargo’s network of more than 130,000 businesses is the leading independent payment platform focused on expediting the movement of cargo in North America and is rapidly expanding in Europe and other geographies.”

     One day later, on March 1st the FlyingTypers received information that Cathay Cargo Terminal is the first air cargo terminal in Hong Kong to enable ePayments providing seamless payment for cargo collection. There is another brick that PayCargo is laying in the construction of this New Age: PayCargo said, “Cathay Cargo Terminal has become the first air cargo terminal in Hong Kong to introduce a business-to-business (B2B) ePayment solution, partnering with leading global cargo payment platform PayCargo to offer a secure, user-friendly, and efficient digital payment method for import cargo collection.” Cathay Cargo Terminal Chief Operating Officer Mark Watts (Above left) said: “We are delighted to have selected PayCargo as our ePayment solution, providing more choice and convenience for freight forwarders and their trucking agents. This marks yet another milestone in our digital journey after enabling eAWBs (electronic air waybills) and introducing eSRF (electronic Shipment Release Forms) at our terminal, reaffirming our commitment to digital leadership.” The PR continues: “Benefits to freight forwarders include the convenience of settling transactions anytime anywhere, eliminating queuing for cash payments, enhanced security, and expediting the entire cargo release process. Freight forwarders may also set up direct credit facilities with Cathay Cargo Terminal. Cashless payments complement the eSRF process for import shipment release and make the full benefits of eSRF available to more of the terminal’s esteemed freight forwarder partners.”
     “It is now our ambition to be the first air cargo terminal to go fully cashless in Hong Kong,” said Watts. PayCargo Commercial Director Asia, Morgan Law (above photo right), shared his excitement about the collaboration, saying: "We are thrilled to embark on this journey with Cathay Cargo Terminal, bringing forth a new era of efficiency and security in cargo payments. We are confident that PayCargo will not only streamline the financial workflow, but also enhance the overall customer experience. Together, we are creating a new benchmark in the Hong Kong logistics sector, with a focus on speed, reliability, and convenience."

     And One More . . . PayCargo announced an additional strategic partnership with Autotoll Samart Solutions, a Hong Kong-based company.. Autotoll is providing Hong Kong Government’s ‘Smart City Blueprint” initiative by developing various intelligent solutions, driving the city to grown in a smarter way. In 1998 Autotoll developed the (ETC) Electronic Toll Collection System.
     Deputy CEO Autotoll, Karel Au pictured here with Adriaan Reinders, Chairman & CEO PayCargo International said, “We are proud to announce our strategic partnership with PayCargo, a leading international logistics payment platform, as they enter the Asian market with their inaugural launch in Hong Kong and are honored to be selected as their exclusive local operator, driving intelligence in the logistics industry.” He further added, that this collaboration with PayCargo is to develop a cutting-edge smart logistics payment system.
     Responding to all of these new developments, Maisie Ho, Director, Head of Office Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York, said, “Hong Kong presents immense opportunities for fintech companies looking to expand into the Asian market due to its sophisticated banking infrastructure. Welcome Florida-based PayCargo to Hong Kong! Hong Kong's status as the largest aircargo hub in the world had made it additionally appealing for PayCargo, an innovative payment solution to support the logistics sector, to choose Hong Kong as the natural first stop for their regional expansion. The announcements of its strategic partnerships with Autotoll Limited and Cathay Cargo Terminal on epayment solutions strengthen the city's B2B digital payment system and infrastructure in the logistics sector.”
     Let us put it this way: we cannot make our minds up whether PayCargo are starting the New Age of Aquarius or just grandly starting their Dragon Year from Hong Kong, China, and indeed this would make sense. What is surely noteworthy is the following: be it New York, Hong Kong or the beautiful shores of Florida there seems to be excitement and hope for the new realizations that become available through the combination of hi-end technology and well experimented logistics knowledge, which is in Del Riego’s experience. It is indeed a combination that can create “harmony and understanding, sympathy and trust abounding” in air cargo and logistics in general.
     “This is the dawning of the age of” Paycargo, a 5th dimension in logistics?
Geoffrey Arend/Marco Sorgetti/Sabiha Arend