WORLDWIDE –Cargo 2000 (C2K) which operates a Not-For-Profit Membership Group supported by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) composed of around 77 major airlines, freight forwarders, ground handling agents, road haulage companies and IT providers globally, says its 2013 Membership Classification analysis shows a continued commitment by its leading members to improve the quality of their air freight services.
Launched last year C2K’s Membership Classification process aims to recognise the achievements and commitments of members using its quality management system over the previous year and to encourage all members to strive for higher standards of service for their customers. Members are assessed on their results and activities in three key areas: Performance and Integrity; Process and Degree of Implementation; and Contribution to the C2K community. These three main elements are weighted with the highest value placed on Contribution to the C2K Community, recognising the importance that the C2K organisation places on its members’ efforts towards the continued development and success of the programme.
In 2013, the number of members achieving the highest Platinum status rose to nine, with Air France Cargo and Delta Air Lines both moving up from the Gold level to join Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, Kuehne + Nagel, KLM Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo, Schenker and Swiss WorldCargo.
In the Gold category, Cargo 2000 has listed 14 members. Four members achieved an improvement over 2012 and moved up to the Gold level; Korean Air Cargo, Martinair, Cargomind and Panalpina. The other Gold Members are Agility, Air Canada, American Airlines, British Airways, DHL Global Forwarding, Etihad, SDV Logistics, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines and Yusen Logistics.
Iberia improved from the Member to Silver category in the analysis of the last year, joining SAS. The Member category includes all remaining C2K partners. C2K aims to be the deepest and most far-reaching improvement initiative in the air cargo industry’s history and its Master Operating Plan (MOP) defines an industry standard process for moving goods from the door of the shipper to the door of the consignee. Mattijs ten Brink, Chairman of Cargo 2000, said:
“In the challenging economic conditions facing the air cargo industry, it would have been easy for companies to take their eye off their quality commitment but in fact the opposite has been true. In 2012, Cargo 2000 members measured an average of 1.25 million shipments a month to our quality standards, a 3% increase over 2011 and performance levels remained stable throughout the year. This is because our members can clearly link the C2K quality program with cost efficiency and customer retention. Currently, our Membership Classification only takes into consideration our airline and forwarding members but we are hopeful of extending this to a broader cross section of our membership before the next round of analysis.”
In other air freight related news, C2K Gold level member, American Airlines Cargo (AA Cargo) has been named the 2012 International Airline of the Year by the Express Delivery and Logistics Association (XLA), a trade association for companies engaged in providing and procuring services within the global air express mail and logistics industry. The Airline Excellence Award was recently presented to the company at the AirCargo 2013 XLA conference in Las Vegas and is based on survey results from member express companies, which American Airlines Cargo and other carriers serve. Jim Conway, Executive Director of the Express Delivery and Logistics Association said:
“The members of the XLA provided survey results that clearly showed they valued the performance, reliability and service of American Airlines for their international cargo needs. The company’s excellent performance provided value not only to the XLA members, but the customers they represent – particularly in the life science and critical shipment area.”
Source: Handy Shipping Giude
