Cargo Now Important Than Paxs
Nov 11, 2020, 4:42 am
#16
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,174
It always has internationally. It is highly lucrative. It checks no bags, it requires no Lounges, and it requires no feeding and it never ever moans.
Seriously cargo has kept many aircraft aloft. I was going to say the Mail was also very important - but I suspect that is mostly things ordered through the post nowadays. Who sends letters any more?
Seriously cargo has kept many aircraft aloft. I was going to say the Mail was also very important - but I suspect that is mostly things ordered through the post nowadays. Who sends letters any more?
Nov 11, 2020, 6:24 am
#17
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: DCA/IAD
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Posts: 7,816
Under-the-wing cargo has always been a huge deal for airlines - especially internationally (as Puccl notes). That is one of the main profit centers for hubs like DFW and MIA. Those South America routes are not flown by a lot of other airlines, but international commerce continues at a decent clip. Roses, computers, cell phones, wine, chilled meats/fish, medical supplies, etc. Think high valuable perishable (bananas can go by boat but even then sometimes a shipper may opt for air freight if the cargo agent can score passage on a flight with a light load) or high value on a weight basis. You had $60 million worth of cell phones imported into the DFW area from Brazil in 2019 - probably a good bit of that came via AA cargo. AA's rack rate for cargo from Brazil to the USA is about $7.00 per kilogram if you ship a 250 KG shipment. I'm sure high volume shippers get at least a 30 percent discount. But, do the math..... about $1,400 to ship a pallet of cell phones. The cell phones don't need upgrades, they don't ask for refills, and they don't use the lav.
Last edited by IADCAflyer; Nov 11, 2020 at 6:30 am
Nov 12, 2020, 9:07 am
#22
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: South Park, Metropolis
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Feb 27, 2021, 9:38 am
#23
Join Date: Nov 1999
Programs: UA, DL, AA, Sutherlands Lumber
Posts: 7,356
This is the best place I could find to post this magazine-like article about converting pax aircraft to freighters....Neat read!
Desperate for more planes, cargo airlines are buying up aging passenger jets. Here's how they're converted to fly Amazon packages instead of people. - insider.com......
Desperate for more planes, cargo airlines are buying up aging passenger jets. Here's how they're converted to fly Amazon packages instead of people. - insider.com......