United, Lufthansa Cargo JV to share freight capacity, booking, handling

Finally, some good news regarding United – United Cargo, that is. After two years of negotiations, United Cargo and Lufthansa Cargo entered into a joint venture this week, covering a wide-range of cargo cooperation on routes between the United States and Europe. The trans-Atlantic deal, first proposed in 2015, covers cooperation on available capacity and alignment of booking and handling processes.

The carriers’ shared routes include more than 600 direct connections per week between the U.S. and Europe. The combined network offering creates additional allows booking through either carrier’s booking channels, as well as coordinated handling and transfers.

Peter Gerber, Lufthansa Cargo’s CEO, said the deal was based on compatible “continental and trans-Atlantic networks, our hubs and our fleet complement each other effectively.” Jan Krems, president of United Cargo, added that, “Cargo customers will appreciate the opportunities for quicker and easier shipping between key locations in the U.S. and Europe.”

We weren’t going to go there, but this article is about United, and it’s worthwhile pointing out that inanimate cargo seems to be doing far better than the living variety these days. In fact, they just can’t seem to drag it on fast enough. First-quarter results for the American carrier showed cargo revenues up 13.4 percent, to US$220 million, and revenue tonne miles up 20.3 percent to 748 million.

Taken in conjunction, these numbers suggest that United is still riding a turnaround that got underway sometime in 2014, following years of lackluster results.

Those interested in learning more about airfreight in 2017, should join us at Cargo Facts Asia in Shanghai, 25 – 26 April.  To register, or for more information, go to CargoFactsAsia.com