The ladies of Netherlands-based Inter Aviation Services B.V. (IAS) are Suzan Snel, Henriëtte Hoogervorst, Esther Romar, and Tanja van der Zwan, part of an exclusive, all-women sales force.

hen it comes to being practical while also being Dutch, Jacques H.M. Heeremans has all bases covered. This long time GSA Managing Director (now GSSA) of Schiphol Airport-based Inter Aviation Services B.V. (IAS), a company he started which has remained happily independent and growing for the past 25 years, is one of the few, and perhaps only, big time handlers to employ an all-female sales force.
     “It had to be,” easy-going Jacques admits:
     “I have six sisters and they would not have it any other way.”
     “We are an independent company established in The Netherlands in 1987; today we’ve grown to include offices at both Amsterdam and Brussels Airports.
     “Our business is providing a comprehensive menu of services as General Sales and Service Agent (GSSA) for several leading airlines.
     “We also offer a worldwide cargo aircraft charter service.
     “Through a close association with International Air Services (IAS UAE) we also maintain a strong presence in the Middle East airfreight markets that I began 25 years ago with my partner Peter Longsdale, covering Dubai & Sharjah and adjacent regions.”
     IAS covers a range of destinations spanning Europe, North and South America, South-East Asia, Middle and Far East, Australia, and Africa.
     From short-haul scheduled passenger services operated by narrow-body jets through to long-range scheduled freighter flights, IAS provides services worldwide.
     The list of airlines that have put their trust in IAS to handle their cargo marketing and sales includes several of the largest carriers. Backed by leading edge information technology, IAS provides administration and control of trucking, import/export handling, collection of freight charges, ramp handling, warehouse supervision, and revenue and management reporting.


     The IAS family includes Avient Cargo, DHL Aviation, Kalitta Air, Polet Cargo Airlines, TAP Portugal, United Cargo, and Vietnam Airlines.
     But the company also provides some deep-dish assistance in sales and marketing, operations, finance and IT, office management, charters as mentioned, and even overall management.
     But it is the man himself that shines out and brings the kind of endorsement from people rarely seen today.


     “I don’t just see Jacques as an ultimate people manager,” said Aris Zwart, retired Regional Director CSO Air France KLM Cargo.
     “I know from lots of people who worked for Jacques, they loved to work for his company, but a lot for Jacques himself.
     “He's easy going, open, and a great listener.
     “Jacques runs his company with passion, vision, and is ahead of developments, and as such he’s a real survivor.
     “He will, without hesitation, advise his industry friends, even if they are competition.
     “For the industry as such, above all within the Netherlands, I would give Jacques the honor of calling him our rock,” Aris Zwart said.
     Strong words and a crowning endorsement, especially as GSSA and every other part of what makes life, love, and our air cargo industry worthwhile, is being so closely connected to others.


     “I guess I am ‘old school,’” Jacques said. “But am young enough to still want to build our business and make new partners and friends along the way.”


     The 25th Anniversary Gala IAS put up on October 27, 2012, in Haarlem gets our vote as party of the year.
Everything was perfect—from the venue to the food to the band to the clothes—as everyone showed up dressed to the nines.
     Around air cargo these days, the word “Gala” is loose verbiage (some say “code”) for just another trade show-closing, rubber chicken dinner where attendees get to eat another meal in another big room while awaiting word that they may have won an award.
     There probably ought to be an award for just showing up for that scene.
     Well, Jacques and company have engineered a party that was a real Dutch treat, and plenty awarding all by itself.
     By the time the soiree moved into overdrive, the host himself is seen on stage with the band, doubling on drums!
     Take three minutes and see for yourself. Since not everybody can operate a successful business for a few years—let alone a quarter of a century—and very few can ever hope to host a sensational and fun party and play the drums at said party, we ask Jacques how he ever became a triple threat.
     “DHL has been with us for more than 25 years, United/Continental for more than 20 years.
     “Kalitta came on after Polar because we were with the great Ned Wallace, going back to the Flying Tigers days.
     “IAS has been a key start up service for many companies that went off on their own, such as Dragonair, Air Bridge, Jade Cargo, and others.
     “We have room to grow and expertise, and maybe above all, as a family business with a solid track record and our years of service, we are a known and respected business that has stayed close to its roots and philosophy of doing things.
     “We are extremely proud to call our business partners also our close friends.”


     Asked how he has kept things fresh for 25 years, Jacques answer is immediate:
     “I am the Managing Director at IAS, but IAS is not important, is my feeling.
     “Rather we exist as the sales and service department of everyone we represent.
     "We do the job and are totally open book in all of our dealings.
     “Customers know us as Etihad or DHL or Kalitta, and the rates are the airlines rates. Also we all like what we have chosen to do for our living, so everything at IAS is on behalf of our clients.
     “I would say our longevity and the trust of our loyal customer base confirms our business philosophy,” Jacques said.


“It has not been easy. Commissions have remained constant, as volumes have plummeted. Also surcharges eat away at revenues and of course are not commissionable.
     “But we have always experienced fairness and decency with the airlines who often during tough times work very closely with us so that we can all continue to deliver the highest quality of service and make a profit,” Jacques Heeremans said.
Geoffrey/Flossie

A Postscript . . . The thing you like right away about Jacques Hermann, aside from his gracious easy-going manner, is that while we were talking in Doha in March, he had made the trip with his old friend and advisor, Jan Meurer.
     Jan, as our regular readers might recall, is one of the outstanding airline executives and air cargo people that we have had the privilege to know and be friends with during our 40 years on this beat.
     Jan was part of Jacques Ancher’s All Star team at KLM Cargo during the 1980s. He went on to distinguish himself even further at that carrier, even during years when the carrier was experiencing major cut backs and retrenchment.
     But here in Doha these two are collaborating while expanding their friendship, and neither looked much worse for wear after a couple rounds of golf on one of Doha’s acclaimed championship golf courses.
     Sitting with them in an empty, darkened meeting room in between sessions, the thought that these two took the time to look around and smell the roses was, for this writer, like a breath of fresh air.

FlyingTypers sat down with Victor Ofstein, (left) FreightOS COO, during AirCargo 2013 and learned that having to sometimes wait three days for an air freight quote gave FreightOS CEO Zvi Schreiber (right) the impetus to bring his software development and internet experience to bear when founding FreightOS.
     Interviewed via Skype, Zvi, who has a PhD in computer science, declared:
     “Now with FreightOS, freight forwarders can automate the sales process to increase their sales and reduce costs.
     “Provided as a Cloud service, no capital investment is required, making FreightOS suitable for forward-looking freight forwarders of all sizes,” he said.
     The FreightOS software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology, hosted on Google servers, allows freight forwarders and carriers to manage contracts and automate and manage the quotation and sales process from their own website.
     Prior to its launch, FreightOS was running successfully for some months at both smaller independent and top-tier multinational freight forwarders in the U.S., Asia, and Europe.
     Early adopters include a top ten global forwarder, with others in Hong Kong and China as well as in the U.S. and Europe.
     These freight companies can use the multimodal capabilities across air, ocean, and ground while delivering the benefits of increased revenue and reduced cost.
     Alessandra Fremura, CEO of Shipping Services Italia Inc., is one of the early customers of FreightOS, telling FlyingTypers:
     “We are a dynamic freight forwarder looking for top quality IT providers to continuously improve our service, and we found in FreightOS a great partner who enabled us to speed up quotes to promptly meet our customers’ and agents’ needs.”
     The FreightOS pricing engine is a proprietary solution developed from scratch and supported by a team of 16 developers. The team, led by Zvi Schreiber, has a strong track record of creating innovative technologies, which have been acquired by IBM and GE.
Ted Braun

A once-a-year treat comes to New York City this week as air cargo delivers cases of the great German “royal vegetable” spargel (white asparagus), once reserved for only the upper classes. The German American Chamber of Commerce celebrates the season with its 10th Annual White Asparagus Dinner held this year at The Edison Ballroom.
     Hundreds will gather in the grand venue of The Edison today Thursday May 16, in a 1930s art deco space that has been popular since the swing era.
     “It is always a pleasure and an honor to bring these cases of white asparagus to New York,” said Jo Frigger, CEO of EMO Trans, which organizes and provides total logistics for the shipments each year.
     “The vegetable, while very popular from April until early June in Germany, is a rarity in USA and is not grown here,” Mr. Frigger said.
     “Some attempts have been made to produce the asparagus in Latin America, but the best big white asparagus, with its particular texture and sweetness, is grown in Germany where it has heralded springtime for centuries.”
     “Spargel 2013 style is also a moveable feast that air cargo can deliver like no other mode of transport,” Jo Frigger said.
     “Working closely with Lufthansa Cargo, its strictly hands-on all the way,” said Mr. Frigger, who noted:
     “The 200 kg are transported in coolers from the fields to the airport.
     “The whole procedure lasts one and a half days, including customs and other authorities, as the vegetable passes through the security microscope.”
     “But the payoff is well worth it, as a grand tradition is maintained and enhanced by EMO Trans’ ability to handle all manner of shipment, end to end.”
     As mentioned, April to June is spargel season in Germany, as roadside stands, farmers’ markets, and grocery stores all carry ample supplies of the “royal vegetable,” and many restaurants have special spargel menus which feature asparagus as the star ingredient.
     Some folks even opt to pickle the white treat while it is in season, assuming they can keep other members of their households away from the kitchen long enough to secure the asparagus in pickling jars.
Geoffrey

     It is not a good idea to ever count anybody out.
     Guess who popped up as one of two big airline consolidations in Latin America?
     Everybody has heard of the combination of LAN and TAM into LATAM, but who would have thunk that in 2013 all eyes would be on Avianca & TACA?
     Anybody aware of the political and economic abyss that was Colombia at one time, and of course Avianca going bankrupt in 2004, might find this hard to believe.
     But here comes AviancaTaca Holdings, kicking ass and taking names.
     With the Taca brand set to disappear in May (the two companies continue as single entities but operate under the Avianca brand), AviancaTaca Holdings emerges as a Bogota powerhouse group making money and loving it.
     Having mastered the single administration of AviancaTaca Holdings, CEO Fabio Villegas delivered profits of 506 million Colombian pesos in 2012 as capacity and demand at the carrier rose more than 10 percent last year.
     In the first two months of 2013, Avianca and TACA recorded a 9.7 percent increase in passenger numbers compared to the same period in 2012, moving 3,982,201 passengers.
     Also on the boards is Ecuador-based Aerogal, which operates across the domestic network and will now be rebranded by Avianca.
     Avianca is owned by Synergy Group Corp., which also owns Avianca Brazil.
     Although there was some talk of including Avianca Brazil with AviancaTaca Holdings, even with the same ownership that move seems some time away.
     The driver is AviancaTaca Holdings Star Alliance membership, which under a cooperation between AviancaTaca Holdings with Avianca Brazil would replace the loss of Star’s TAM membership in Brazil.
Kudos to Avianca & TACA!
     Avianca was the first airline in the Americas and today is the second oldest airline in the world, with nine decades of uninterrupted service, while TACA (founded in 1931) has more than 77 years of history.
     So down is not out.
     Anybody with guts and spirit and a new plan can pick up, dust off, and start all over again!
     Avianca could have been what the great double-talking baseball player Yogi Berra was talking about when he said:
     “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over!”
Geoffrey/Sabiha

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     He began as part of the Seaboard World Airways “Foreign Legion” in Europe over forty years ago.
     Today with SWA long gone, disappeared into Flying Tigers, which in turn was swallowed by Fed Ex, Vince Chabrol is still on the job humping and shipping air cargo JFK to Casablanca and beyond for Royal Air Maroc or RAM Cargo as the cargo division of the airline was branded in 2011.
     Royal Air Maroc serves New York City with B767-300ERs and beyond CAS with B737F and belly lift.
     Vince, who has weathered all the seasons, is still in office at JFK International Airport, and in that effort has lasted and outlasted several generations and eras of air cargo people
     Vince Chabrol is a great air cargo professional and he loves this business beyond anything else.
     He is steadfast and loyal with great determination and wisdom of all things air cargo.
     Sometimes when we drive by the JAL Cargo Center at JFK International we think about the years and hours we spoke to Vince when we had our print publication between 1975 and 2005.
     Vince has lasted because he keeps things close to the ground with hands and heart into every facet of the air cargo business.
     Always with a smile on his face, Vince can be tough, comforting and reassuring at the same time.
     It is good to think about heart and soul people in air cargo like Vince Chabrol.
     It is even better to ship with him.
V20100@ aol.com

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