Could United make a profit hauling cargo only out of China?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Programs: Hertz PC
Posts: 657
Could United make a profit hauling cargo only out of China?
Air freight out of Asia has doubled to tripled in price. China factories getting back online but cant meet deadlines using the slow boat.
Could you pack enough freight in a belly of those 773's to cashflow? No passengers so no cost of cabin crews.
Could you pack enough freight in a belly of those 773's to cashflow? No passengers so no cost of cabin crews.
#2
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM
Posts: 6,228
I think there's other logistical issues too, not only the airfreight.
It's tough (although getting a lot easier) to have goods transported via trucks (to the airport), and there's reduced capacity of handling shipments (customs clearance, tax dept., etc.)
It's tough (although getting a lot easier) to have goods transported via trucks (to the airport), and there's reduced capacity of handling shipments (customs clearance, tax dept., etc.)
#4
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,109
The supply chain in China is completely jacked up right now.
for a while they couldn’t find enough truck drivers to moves goods as none of them wanted to go out.
the ones who did raised their prices significantly.
the overall supply chain disruption is huge. I have vendors who are back at work with 70% of their people but their suppliers are not so they can’t do anything.
itll be 12-18 months before we have this disruption completely behind us.
because of this I’d imagine a 777-300 configured for passenger load couldn’t hold enough product to be competitive due to the massive underutilization of the cargo planes
for a while they couldn’t find enough truck drivers to moves goods as none of them wanted to go out.
the ones who did raised their prices significantly.
the overall supply chain disruption is huge. I have vendors who are back at work with 70% of their people but their suppliers are not so they can’t do anything.
itll be 12-18 months before we have this disruption completely behind us.
because of this I’d imagine a 777-300 configured for passenger load couldn’t hold enough product to be competitive due to the massive underutilization of the cargo planes
#6
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: UA MM
Posts: 4,041
Most package consolidations would't fit in a passenger aircraft luggage bin. KLM has/had those 747 Combis that could handle that type of job. Are they still around?
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
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Yes, KL still operates 744 Combis. I was on one in January. Really ancient seats and IFE. UA doesn't operate Combis either.
#8
Join Date: Jul 2014
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#9
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Delaware
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Which raises the next question, how are the freight only carriers doing it? UPS, etc?
#10
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,326
Even if you had 2 crews, one each way, crews never leave the plane, or a stop in GUM with a single crew taking the plane GUM-CHINA-GUM, again, never leaving the plane, there are still issues before the added costs. What if the plane went MX while it was there? Also, I'm sure there is some direct human to human contact while on the ground there.
Which raises the next question, how are the freight only carriers doing it? UPS, etc?
Which raises the next question, how are the freight only carriers doing it? UPS, etc?
https://www.regulations.gov/document...2020-0006-0001
This direction considers a person to have recently traveled from the People's Republic of China if that person departed from, or was otherwise present within, the People's Republic of China (excluding the special autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau) within 14 days of the date of the person's entry or attempted entry into the United States. Also, for purposes of this document, crew, and flights carrying only cargo (i.e., no passengers or non-crew), are excluded from the measures herein
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
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Sure they do. Does UA still fly to Seattle?
If you trust the numbers reported on https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ or https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/a...23467b48e9ecf6, the daily new infection rates in China are lower than in the US and the number fatalities in the Seattle area exceeds the number for Beijing.
If you trust the numbers reported on https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ or https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/a...23467b48e9ecf6, the daily new infection rates in China are lower than in the US and the number fatalities in the Seattle area exceeds the number for Beijing.
#13
Join Date: Feb 2006
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