Kenji Hashimoto, President of American Airlines Cargo, landed this week in Phoenix for his second CNS Partnership Conference since assuming command in May of last year.
     As developments (including the USAir merger) and business have improved, conversation turns to what’s up and what’s next at the airline, which at long last seems to be busting out all over.
     “We are excited about business so far this year, especially as we continue to expand our global network into Latin America, Asia, and Europe.
     “This week beginning May 9, we begin offering nonstop wide body service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Seoul, South Korea, adding to our recent nonstop service between Chicago O’Hare and Dusseldorf, Germany.
     “As far as performance in the first quarter of 2013, we are in line with the year-over-year revenue and traffic performance of our U.S.-industry peers.”

     “We have been surprised by the sharpness of the downtown in exports from Japan, although we’ve used this as an opportunity to increase feed from other important Asian markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taipei, connecting from our Tokyo gateway.
     “To date, 2013 is down slightly year-over-year, a trend that everyone seems to be enduring.
     “Although we still have not seen a large-scale recovery in freight demand, we are starting to see some positive signs of a turnaround.
     “So far this year, we’ve seen strong exports to Asia, perishables off the west coast, and northbound traffic out of Latin America, specifically Buenos Aires and Santiago.
     “I am pleased with our progress, and I think as we continue to expand our global network, drive new products focused on our customers’ needs and invest in our infrastructure through projects such as our DFW container-friendly perishable cooler and upcoming CRT room in JFK, we will drive more business and be able to better serve our customers.”


     “This is an exciting time for American Airlines Cargo, and there have been many significant developments over just the past year.
     “We continue to expand our global network into Europe, Asia, and Latin America, providing customers with more shipping options to meet their needs.
     “In June 2013, we’ll add JFK to Dublin, Ireland and ORD to Helsinki, Finland. Then later this year we'll be adding DFW to Bogota, Columbia, MIA to Porto Alegre and Curitiba in Brazil and LAX to Sao Paulo, Brazil.


     “This year, we were the first U.S. airline to take delivery of the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which gives us more cargo capacity—38 percent more than the 777-200.
     “The 777-300ER is part of our plan to create the industry’s most modern, fuel-efficient fleet among U.S. carriers, and it is helping us to update equipment to existing routes. Today, the 777-300ER is flying between Dallas/Fort Worth and London Heathrow; New York – JFK and Sao Paulo, Brazil; and New York – JFK and London Heathrow.”


     “This week on May 7, as part of our partnership with OnAsset Intelligence, we will begin offering customers a new, one-time use program with FlightSafe®, the leading GPS and sensor-based tracking device for air cargo shipments.
     “Customers will be able to add the tracking device to any U.S. domestic and international shipments and get more peace of mind with the ability to view the location, location history, and all sensor data collected during transit.
     “Over the past couple of years, we have been investing in our facilities to make sure our customers’ perishable shipments arrive safely and are well cared for.
     “Late last year, we opened a new, 1,800 square foot, state-of-the-art, container-friendly perishable cooler in Dallas/Fort Worth, similar to the one set up at Miami in 2006. Both offer the latest infrastructure, as well as employees who are trained in working with temperature- and time-sensitive cargo.
     “Later this year, we expect to complete our expansion at New York – JFK.”


     “I have really enjoyed attending industry trade shows this year, as it’s given me an opportunity to meet and develop relationships with our customers and key industry leaders.
     “These events are great opportunities to hear firsthand what’s on the mind of our customers, which ultimately helps us to develop and create solutions to better meet their needs.
     “American will continue to have a strong presence at trade shows for the rest of the year.
     “We will be participating in Air Cargo Europe, IQPC’s Cold Chain Temperature Management Global Forum, and Air Cargo Americas, among others.
     “The international market is key to our business, and this is evident by our expansion into Europe, Latin America, and Asia.”


     “As mentioned, we plan to expand into Latin American later this year, with service to Bogota, Curitiba, and Porto Alegre, and we have plans to add daily wide body service between Los Angeles and Sao Paulo.
     “Today, our 777-300ER is bringing more capacity between New York – JFK and Sao Paulo, Brazil, and in 2014, between Chicago O’Hare and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
     “Latin America, as a whole, is one of our strongest performing regions and is one of the areas where we see continued growth.
     “On both the passenger and cargo sides of our business, Latin America has been growing in traffic and revenue.
     “Brazil shows many signs that indicate a very strong outlook for the region, including its upcoming debut on the world stage with the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics, the boom of the oil and gas business, recently signed free trade agreements in Panama and Columbia, growth of the middle class, investments in infrastructure and improved political stability.
     “In April, we added nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Lima, Peru.
     “Later this year, we’ll be adding new nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Bogota, Columbia; Miami and Porto Alegre, Brazil; Miami and Curitiba, Brazil; and Los Angeles and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
     “We will continue to invest strategically to strengthen our network and customer relationships in South America.”


     “We want shippers to know that we have one of the best and most dedicated sales and operations teams in the industry—something we hear all the time from our customers. And, we know the importance of collaboration; that’s why we partner with forwarders to provide their customers with creative solutions for their shipping needs.
     “One of the most common misperceptions about American Airlines Cargo is that we’re a U.S.-centric airline. While we are proud to be American in name, we are a global airline with a growing network that serves cities all across the world—from Europe to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Asia.”
(Geoffrey)