he worst kept secret of Winter 2012 went public on Thursday, when parent company Lufthansa Cargo announced that Lufthansa Cargo Charter, which grew under original MD, Christian Fink, (in photo right) and then continued under its current MD, Reto Hunziker, (in photo left) is going out of business starting April 1, 2012.
     The rumors about the Lufthansa Cargo Charter demise have been swirling for some months, but now the sad news has been brought home to all, and just in time for Christmas.
     Reportedly staff have been entreated to continue “into the market and sell charters.” Approximately 30 employees worldwide were notified they were losing their jobs barely two weeks before Christmas—news that can hardly be supplemented with the charge to make more money. After all, who exactly is going to buy a ticket for a sinking ship?
     So did the Grinch steal Lufthansa Cargo Charter?
     Only time will reveal what moved this deal—perhaps it was economies worldwide, perhaps it was something more internal—we just don’t know yet.
     One thing is for sure: this couldn’t have come at a worse time for employees (as if any time at all were good), many of whom are devastated.
     It is hard to imagine Lufthansa Cargo, which reportedly had been shopping Lufthansa Cargo Charter around, does not already have a deal to keep Lufthansa Cargo Charter in the business in some form.
     The only certainty is that many of the aforementioned employees will be out scrambling to look for work at a time of year when no one expects to do so.
     For many in air cargo, including yours truly, Lufthansa Cargo Charter was the “little company that could” as it continued along in an ever-profitable atmosphere for many seasons. It always held its own, and at times even bested bigger, more entrenched competitors.
     There was a cohesive, often high-spirited and uplifting feeling amongst many at Lufthansa Cargo Charter that was immediately apparent after the company opened its offices near Frankfurt Am Main in Kelsterbach.
     It was certainly all business, but you quickly learned that amongst Fink and company, there was always the ability to step back and enjoy the journey.
     Lufthansa Cargo Charter was FlyingTypers’ first account, with Christian and Heide Enfield instantly supporting our fledgling newsletter.
     Today our publication sends back sincere thanks, love, and best wishes to everybody at Lufthansa Cargo Charter.
     We will miss that bunch . . . people like Volker Dunkake and Jürgen Stille who have been there since the beginning; Mischa, Cornelius, Nils, Dezire and Jinnet in head office; Andrew in Chicago; Phyllis in Hong Kong and Steve and Shihaara in Dubai.
     Aside from being great business people, Lufthansa Cargo Charter was also known for its support of charitable causes such as Mothers’ Mercy Home, an orphanage in Kianjogu just outside Nairobi, which is part of the Lufthansa Cargo’s ‘Cargo Human Care’ (CHC) project.
      The company also hosted some really wonderful, not-easily-forgotten summer parties for its business partners, held at different locations, including the Vivarium, a beautiful park and children’s zoo from the 1920s located in Darmstadt.
     The Lufthansa Cargo Charter parties rivaled (and were frankly better than) anything we have ever attended in our 40+ years on this beat.
     Who can forget 2006, when we all gathered together as an overextended family in a soccer-themed tent with a big flat screen television, watching the FIFA World Cup unfold in Germany?

     As we celebrated long into the night in the Vivarium Park, it seemed that even the trees swayed to the rhythm as spirits soared and the band played into the night.
     Later, departing the summer party, we noted that all over Darmstadt and everywhere else in Germany folks were adding flags to car windows and balconies as national pride swept across the land.
     Back in the hotel, the party continued with colleagues like Air Cargo Week's Tony Carding, until curfew in the lobby bar, as everyone watched the events unfold on television, the excitement bandied back and forth amongst people as swiftly as the football amongst players.
     It was a great night to be in Germany! And a wonderful night to be with the people of Lufthansa Cargo Charter, who represented not just a company, but also a family of people.
     So with a tip of our hat and a bit of a tweet-tweet, we say farewell to Lufthansa Cargo Charter with the hope that all of our dear friends are safely delivered with perfect, three-point landings into the new year.
Geoffrey

     Sad to report that Roland Bischoff, Senior Vice President, Global Airfreight, K+N, died tragically in a skiing accident.
     Neel Shah, President-JS Aviation Consulting and Chief Commercial Officer-Able Freight Services, who knew and worked closely with Roland on C2K for over a decade, said, “it was a tragedy, very shocking and sad.
     “Roland was a class act, a true gentleman. His contribution, passion, and energy for not only Kuehne+Nagel but also for the industry we all love will be sorely missed."
     Mr. Bischoff can also be remembered as an industry team player: he served as an IATA C2K member and was an early proponent of adapting Cargo 2000 guidelines as a way to do business, stating:
     "One cannot achieve reliable service levels in today's airfreight environment without process control from door to door, initiated and supported by Cargo 2000.
     “We have come a long way since every single shipment in our present network is planned and measured by those standards, allowing to control our own network as well as those of our suppliers a lot better.
     “With the growing Cargo 2000 coverage on the carrier side, evaluating and managing the suppliers becomes a reachable task."
     Dave Brooks recalls Roland during the years the two men worked together developing C2K, when Mr. Brooks was President of American Airlines Cargo:
     "You had to have your homework done if you were going to meet with Roland—he was no nonsense, but a straight shooter and an early C2K enthusiast.
     “He represented K&N very well and AA Cargo placed great value on its relationship with Roland while I was there.
     “Enjoy eternal ‘first tracks,’ Roland; we will miss you."
     Our deepest condolences to his family.
Geoffrey Arend

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