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A R C H I V E S

E D I T O R I A L

LISTEN TO FRANCE AND GERMANY

     Lately we have been thinking about France and Germany.
     As Americans, it must be tough to face up to the reality that like it or not, the current negative and strident attitude toward two of America’s most important allies is short sighted and wrong.
     Some people in America are saying, writing and thinking terrible things about our oldest friend-France, the country that helped put the USA in business in the first place during 1776.
     Yes, both France and Germany are behaving in a fractious manner as they disagree with America’s foreign policy toward Iraq.
     But in truth they are just acting like the independent democracies that they are.
     When you think about it, America is mad at France for behaving more like the Democrats than the loyal opposition, the USA Senate and House of Representatives, where only Edward Kennedy, Robert Byrd, Charles Rangel, and a few others have raised their voices in protest against America’s current rush to a military solution in the Middle East.
     The knee jerker in America can bitch and moan and threaten to not eat French cheese, or ship cargo or fly aboard Air France, or eat sausage or fly Lufthansa, but one thing is certain:
     When this Iraq thing gets sorted out, France and Germany will be needed for what they know and contribute to the proposition of what kind of world everybody desires for tomorrow.
     America does not need either France or Germany to do its thing militarily in Iraq.
     For that matter, America doesn’t need Canada or Mexico either. Both of those countries that border the USA top and bottom do not support our incursion into Iraq either.
     The wonder is why Canada and Mexico and several other countries have not been vilified in the same manner as France and Germany?
     Let’s hear no more about how America saved France in 1944 either. Plenty of French people fought and are buried alongside us Americans on Omaha Beach and elsewhere at Normandy.
     It’s also arguable that without the very effective French Resistance during the entire Second World War, the retaking of Europe would have been that much tougher if not impossible.
     I served my country as a draftee in Vietnam.
     I can say first hand that war is no good.
     An old Chinese saying is that if there is only a one percent chance of peace, we must make 100 percent effort to give peace a chance.
     But to cast those who don’t agree with America right now as the bad guys is to deny the need for everyone’s help to get the international order of things right in the future.
     All of this is new ground to America, as the world’s only super power.
     Think about it. For the first time in history here is America not liking what the United Nations is doing about Iraq, so just like that we cast off the UN as antique and not needed, while for about the same reasons we diss the French and to a lesser extent the Germans, as “old Europe.” The hope is that when Iraq is measured and done, that the peace includes the often sage albeit not always lock ’n step input, advice, and consent of our trusted and ancient friends in France and Germany.

STRAWMAN STILL BRAINLESS

     Big uproar almost everywhere over the proposed United States Customs anti-terrorist regulations for air cargo set to be implemented later this year.
     General reaction ranges from fear to outrage as shippers are juiced up about so-called ‘Strawman Proposal’ that would require cargo manifests be submitted to U.S. Customs 12 hours before cargo could be loaded on aircraft
     In Hong Kong, for example, one group of exporters said the regulations could destroy their air cargo business. According to one report, HK cargo has reached out for help from the China Economic Development and Labor Bureau to lobby lawmakers in Washington.
     In America, The National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) in a position released on the organization web site called for U.S. Customs to “radically revise” its proposed regulations as “simply not compatible with air cargo transportation.”
     Pushing back manifest time 12 hours, will translate into 24 hour advance close outs for flights. That is viewed by many in air cargo as the real crusher in the new regulations due to go online October 15th through November 1st for full implementation.
     “These requirements, if drafted in anything like the form published, would destroy air cargo service destined to and departing from the United States and have devastating effects on U.S. global trade and economic development,” said NITL.
     U.S. Customs Deputy Commissioner Douglas Browning in Hong Kong last week must have thought that he was snake bit. Shippers were in his face and their words were not about the weather.
     Browning told one reporter “They (air cargo executives) didn’t like it because they don’t see it as fitting in with their processes.
     “If they think six, eight or 12 hours doesn’t work, they are on the hook to get back to us. The time-line is October. We have to get this done by the end of the year.
     “U.S. Government agency once again making up rules without really understanding what the hell that they are doing,” a source told Newsflash.
     “U.S. says there is a problem. We don’t have a fix that we are sure of, but anyway here are some rules. Now you prove that our rules don’t have to be put into force and we will think about rescinding them.
     “That is Pretzel logic as another U.S. agency looks at the world through what can be viewed as fear, mistrust and misguided hubris.
     “Maybe U.S. Customs should do more fact finding before they come up with additional mandates.
     “They (Customs) might discover that air cargo has a better handle on its business process such as known shippers and other safeguards already in place.
     “Air cargo and the aviation industry does not need one more reason to fail right now.”

USA OWES ITS AIRLINES


Postcard From The Edge . . . In 1942 American Airlines carried the weight as America as went to war. U.S. flag carriers carried personnel and cargo around the world to save the day. Now it’s time for Uncle Sam to step up and save the airlines.

     No one in his or her wildest imagination could have ever even dreamed of such a situation.
     We look out of windows here at LaGuardia Airport in New York, which witnessed the first scheduled international flights from the greatest city in the world to Europe, by Pan American World Airways.
     That company, which thrust an aerial lifeline across two great oceans via the flying boats has been bankrupt and gone since 1991, as the direct result of terror over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.
     Now in 2003, we think, what ever made anybody think that the kind of terrorist plot against Pan Am couldn’t or wouldn’t happen again?
     Out front of our Marine Air Terminal Building lie LaGuardia’s two landplane runways.
     Across that expanse rolled the first DC-3s of United and early experimental all-cargo flights for the U.S. Postal Service.
     Later, American Airlines would launch DC-3 scheduled all-cargo service and history would be made.
     Both of these carriers, arguably the greatest airlines in the world are flying into a kind of turbulence that clouds, even questions their future.
     Air Cargo News thinks that situation must be addressed immediately.
     United has already gone into bankruptcy, American continues to seeks solutions but whispers have turned into loud voices saying that this great airline company may be forced to its knees.
     As mentioned, we work and live surrounded by history every day here at LaGuardia.
     We know for example, that without American Airlines founder C.R. Smith and his brilliant staff, including the legendary Red Mosier who came over to New York in 1938, and basically designed and built this place, there probably wouldn’t even be a LaGuardia Airport.
     Later when the airport was victim of the environmentalists and neighborhood noise nuts that wanted to close the airports wherever they could, United and American and Boeing got together around the airplane that saved this and every other ‘in town’ airport in the world, the B727.
     But now these great U.S. flag carriers whose elegant, graceful airplanes were used as missiles to destroy the World Trade Center and part of the Pentagon September 11, 2001, have been brought to a reality that no one could have imagined.
     Elsewhere on the site is a report that says the DOT is looking to put some rules in place that would affect the Delta, Continental, Northwest code-share deal that Department of Justice approved. Maybe the code-share is or is not the right thing. But the fact that the trio is willing to take the heat, attempting to put something, anything in place to maybe save their collective skins underscores the terrible and continuing perilous situation our flag carriers are in right now. Nobody wants the government as partners. But the government that taxes for military and intrudes as it sees fit with rules about how the airline business is conducted was also supposed to create a safe playing field that would allow the U.S.commercial airlines a safe business environment. Now there is a super agency called Homeland Security. Where the hell was any security 9/11/01 when just like today, American taxpayers were spending more money for their security than any other country in the world? After all the death and destruction of people’s lives and the airline business to boot, the U.S. Government must do even more to help save and preserve America’s airlines. In Europe, without billions in direct government support there wouldn’t be any airlines. Air France, for example, got huge money from the French government less than three years ago. AF wasn’t the victim of terror, but rather terrible management. Now the U.S. politicians wave money with enough strings to choke a horse at the carriers. In the case of United, the money was attached to strings that were pulled each time UAL pre-bankruptcy, reached out for help. Just like the old wallet on a string gag, each time the politicians yanked the money a little further away, until the loan was refused altogether. UAL and its 80,000 employees, the greatest attempt at an employee-stock option plan airline in history, went down. The United States needs to field a Marshall Plan, to rebuild its flag airlines upon the domestic and world stage. Compared to what we are spending in money to whack Hussein and Company, the billions to save our vital transportation resource would be chump change.

The 25% Solution

     Cathay Pacific, JAL Cargo, Singapore Airlines Cargo, and Qantas Cargo join together to send up a new Internet-based cargo portal by mid-year.
     Using words like e-enablement, efficiency initiative, sensitive, competitive, functionality all four carriers predict that one more portal that creates revenue stream and offers shippers the option to book and track and get information as to where the cargo is any given moment, is better than just a good thing.
     It’s the way of the world.
     But keeping track of who is who, and which partner is which, in the air cargo business is getting tougher.
     As example, no two of the new partners are together in WOW or One World or Sky Team or Star Alliance.
     This new Internet alliance is so new that the press release here says it only has a ‘working name’ so far.
     “Air Cargo Exchange” (ACE) will expand shipper’s options
     ACE works for us, but how about calling the group “The Four Aces”
     We remember a singing quartet called The Four Aces. Their big hit song during the 1950s was:
     “Stranger In Paradise”
     We also recall early last year attending the launch of WOW in Frankfurt, where the guy from SAS Cargo, Peter Grønlund, and Dr. Andrea Otto from Lufthansa, and Mr. Hwang Teng Aun from Singapore all donned WOW team jackets and hats to show solidarity for that alliance.
     Maybe Mr. Hwang, JAL’s Mr. Juntaro Shimizu, Cathay’s Kenny Tang and Qantas’ Peter Frampton, will jolly their press conference up with:
     “Take my hand—
     “I’m a stranger in Paradise?”
     It’s a rather nice, old familiar tune.
     Anyway, the juice to put up the new Internet service which will be expanded as things work out, is provided by Cargo Community Network Singapore (CCN not CNN) Global Logistics Systems Hong Kong (GLSHK) also known as Traxon Hong Kong.

TOWARD BETTER
CARGO GASBAGS

     Content is king, so say the soothsayers of the Internet.
     But we wonder do only soothsayers give good soothe?
     The way we see it, no matter what you are attempting to put over, in the end, content is everything.
     This paper you hold, the books, television, movies and air cargo discussion panels, all must compete for your attention and respect by keeping things interesting.
     This about discussion panels at air cargo industry trade shows.
     Let’s face it, most trade shows have discussion sessions that appear as if they were put together out of fear.
     After all, who can afford to spend the time and effort, not mention ante up the big bucks to appear at some exotic location along a booth and a bunch of freebie sample luggage tags or pens, and not be delivered at least the promise that the line of conversation on the panels will be important?
     The problem is, that there are not too many executives in air cargo that are willing to say much that is substantive outside of their own special interests.
     The exception is the often-hushed tones of conversation in what is commonly referred to as the ‘networking’ part of the trade show encounter.
     Unfortunately today you can probably count on one hand the number of people who are on the ball and able or willing to contribute their thoughts to a general discussion about what to do about the air cargo business today.
     It’s understandable that you can’t give secrets away for free.
     Also, as you are getting paid from someone to build a product, you must do all necessary to advance that interest.
     But right now in every corner of the world, air cargo has changed as never before. The market once served by mighty government and solid commercial airlines from Europe to USA, to Asia/Pacific, across Africa, South America, The Middle East and everywhere else has changed as dramatically during the past two years, as in the last fifty.
     During 2003, there will be at least a dozen major air cargo trade shows with discussion panels that will be held in various locations around the world.
     There is still time to make certain that these discussion panels count for something and are not allowed to end up as little more than conversational eyewash.
     We imagine that panels for trade show gatherings are put together with great concern and sensitivity, but little deep-dish knowledge of what makes air cargo tick, or what will really work for show attendees.
     For these reasons and some oth- ers, what we end up with are sessions with many participants delivering commercials for their company or special interest.
     The other extreme is to get women or men of letters, in the form of ‘Professor this’ or ‘Doctor that’ of transportation or logistics to tell us in absolute terms what lies ahead.
     The problem with putting academics into the trade show mix is that most people in the audience and probably even the other people on the panel have absolutely no idea what the hell they are talking about.
     There was one presentation at Air Cargo Americas in 2001 by an aca- demic that is absolutely indecipher- able.
     Maybe academics at cargo events would work better if these teachers were required to bring along a couple of students to edit and translate their presentations.
     So maybe its our own fault that what we are left with are paid hack consultants or company stooges or eggheads in a series of thinly connected twenty minute statements, or commercials followed by a couple of questions and the next panel.
     This year the subject at every gathering will be security. We can’t wait for the army of ex-cops and government experts and corporate security experts to be unleashed everywhere.
     A couple of years ago the big subject at the CNS Conference was the Internet explosion. The major portion of that meeting was to present every dot.com company with even a dream of air cargo like ‘the wave of the future.’
     We know now, that most of those high-flying dot.com companies featured as the next big thing have since gone bust. In fact, some were already toast even before the unfortunate CNS attendees returned to their desks after the show.
     So much for ‘riding the wave’ as format for discussion.
     While most trade shows take a less risky approach to their panel topics, it’s clearly time for somebody to gather a half dozen sessions for the next three-day trade show event that makes better use of the audience’s time.
     Maybe we should, as it is said, think outside the box.
     First of all, no more Power Point (PP) presentations.
     We are sick of Power Point.
     Unless the speaker is going to lead us all in song like the old bouncing ball ‘sing along’, popular in movie theaters during the 1940s, and 1950s, (come to think of it why isn’t there an air cargo anthem?), then endless PP graphics and charts in a serious engaging discussion of security for example, or anything else that mat- ters, should be banned right away.
     Too many people are hiding be- hind PP.
     You got something to say?
     Say it!
     Don’t talk to the screen.
     Talk to the audience.
     Ask questions.
     Don’t be afraid to even wonder about something.
     Insist on answers.
     At the end of your talk, demand a response about what you said, say three minutes comment, on the spot, from each of the other panel mem- bers.
     All of this will also serve to wake up the moderator and the audience.
     That will hot things up.
     You have some images that need to be imparted upon us? Give the people in the audience a summary on paper of your presentation to contemplate and respond to later, upstairs in the room or over drinks at the reception.
     But if you must have a screen graphic behind or alongside while you speak, why not some pictures of aircraft or the cargo warehouse or a live animal shipment. Everybody we’ve met so far in air cargo enjoys pictures like that.
     At least, one of the sessions at any trade show should be comprised of the legendary voices of the air cargo industry.
     Individuals who are retired or have moved on from one place to another are finally freed up to say out loud in front of people, what they really think.
     Show organizers should seek these people out, pay them a modest stipend, display their attendance with pride and sponsor their travel and expense to attend air cargo conferences.
     Imagine a discussion about where air cargo has been and is headed that includes the likes of Bill Boesch, Jacques Ancher, Jim Hartigan, Guenter Rohrmann, Joe Fenley, Peter Yap and John Emery Jr., or make up your own panel.
     It’s O.K., even needed that our trade organizations sponsor education and scholarships. But by not educating today’s air cargo executives in open industry sessions by offering voices of experience, these scholarships appear superficial, as though we are just throwing some money around for appearances.
     There is probably more to be said about juicing up the gasbag sessions at air cargo trade shows.
     But you need to get in touch with the next show that you will attend, and like that character in the movie Broadcast News, say:
     “I’m sick and tired (of mediocre discussion) and won’t take it any- more!”