ABSTRACT
The acceptance of electronic systems for cargo processing has been somewhat slower by the air freight industry than many others. The leading airlines such as Lufthansa, Air France, Emirates, etc. were quick to see the operational advantages but overall progress has been disappointing. IATA itself is at the leading edge of the drive to engage more operators in electronic cargo processing, thus eliminating paper and waste, while streamlining and creating more efficiency. When the integrators – Fedex, UPS, DHL, etc. – started operating, the adoption of efficient systems was considered vital to their success in order to track the millions of shipments they carried. After much heel-tapping, the conventional air freight community was forced to follow in order to be competitive. The old method of telephone and fax was not only slow, but expensive. While the major carriers and forwarders accepted the new technology and set up their own internal systems, many did not, especially forwarders.
