The combined air freight division of British Airways and Iberia is offering shippers and forwarders at Frankfurt its Cargo Connector Service. It is the first of its kind in continental Europe, following the introduction of this offering in the UK and U.S.
Forwarding agents located in the metropolitan area of Frankfurt can now opt to have IAG Cargo collect and transport shipments, of less than 300 kilos, direct from their premises to the airport at
no additional cost.
In their announcement IAG Cargo stresses that by making use of Cargo Connector agents will be able to make bookings at short notice. Furthermore, they do not have to invest in their own driver
and truck, which can become time consuming and costly during busy periods. IAG Cargo stresses that these benefits are among the reasons that this pick-up service has proved to be successful in
both markets the UK and U.S.
Serving the ‘Mittelstand’
The product is introduced at a time when IAG Cargo is enhancing its proposition in the German market. The carrier is strengthening its profile among the ‘Mittelstand’, Germany’s small and medium
sized businesses, which have a longstanding importance for the German air cargo industry. In particular, “the addition of a new sales office in Dusseldorf and the strengthening of its German
sales force will better serve the country’s significant SME market and drive further business growth for IAG Cargo,” reads their release.
“The huge success of Cargo Connector in London and key U.S. cities, meanwhile, makes it a logical step to bring this service to Frankfurt where we anticipate strong uptake from businesses,”
comments Chris Nielen, Regional Commercial Manager, Europe at IAG Cargo. He goes on to say: “Being the first carrier to offer this kind of service in an area where low weight shipments are quite
common, will raise the profile of IAG Cargo and support our growth ambitions in Germany.”
Cargo Connector is available at IAG Cargo’s UK hub operation at London Heathrow and seven U.S. airports - New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle, and Houston. Drivers arrive in
IAG Cargo-branded vans and in addition to collecting freight are able to process new cargo bookings on-the-spot, making it easy for freight forwarders to connect to IAG Cargo’s network of over
350 destinations.
Heiner Siegmund
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