Deep in the Heart of Texas, American Airlines Cargo declares its focus is on “meeting our customers’ needs by effectively utilizing our growing network.”
     “We’re striving to ensure that we are engaged with our customers as we work on continuously improving our performance and optimizing their experience.”
     Nobody has to tell Roger Samways, managing director of Global Accounts and Sales Strategy for American Airlines Cargo that the future has arrived.
     He insists that by integrating the best of both cargo operations of American and US Airways, “we took on the goal of delivering an even larger network, broader opportunities, and new, creative solutions to our global customer base.
     “Not only can we now fly shipments to more locations than ever before, including 154 stations and 300 weekly departures between the U.S. and Europe, but we have had the opportunity to make important investments in our infrastructure and people,” Roger insists.
     The erstwhile executive has broken down fences and forged new alliances for the world’s largest air carrier. He continues at a torrid pace even as Summer 2015 takes firm hold, showing absolutely no let up.

Old Philadelphia Has AA Pharma

     “One of our most recent accomplishments includes the development of our newest pharmaceutical facility in Philadelphia (PHL).
     “This 25,000 square-foot dedicated facility includes 9,000 square feet of temperature-controlled storage for our cold chain and pharmaceutical products at the optimal temperatures to maintain highest product quality.
     “The continued expansion of our temperature-controlled facilities is a critical element in ensuring we meet and exceed the expectations of our customers throughout the world.”

The Year So Far

     “Thus far, 2015 has been moving along pretty well.
     “Highlights include increased APAC demand, which we saw in Q1 as a result of the West Coast Port Strike, and our growing cold chain business that has shown significant growth so far this year. Overall, we’re continuing to work on making effective use of our growing network. Along with the integration of the US Airways and American networks, we recently added a new Frankfurt (FRA)-Miami (MIA) service in May, which gives us over 40 departures a week from Germany. In our expanding Asia network, we now serve five destinations with 11 daily departures—including the launch of our new Boeing 787 route between Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Beijing (PEK) on June 2. This will increase further when we add a daily LAX/SYD in December 2015.
     “Outside of Europe and Asia, we continue to reinforce our position as the strongest carrier to Latin America, now serving over 50 destinations in the region.”

Fleet Renewal

     “In addition to our growing international footprint, we have many completed/planned aircraft deliveries to be celebrated.
     “In fact, we took delivery of an incredible 134 airplanes in 2014 and are scheduled to receive 128 this year.
     “Just focusing on our widebody orders, we have 42 firm orders and 58 options for the 787 (a mix of -8s and -9s), 22 A350s and three more Boeing 777-300s (taking our 777-300 fleet to 20).
     “When doing the math, it works out to around one new widebody per month for the next five-plus years.
     “Our new, modern fleet allows for greater opportunities for our customers’ cargo needs—it’s a really exciting time to be at American Airlines.”

What Is Moving?

     “We see many unique shipments every day. In particular, strong growth opportunities in the pharmaceutical sector, which helps to explain the important investments made to support our cold chain solutions.
     “Most recently as mentioned, this includes the opening of our new pharma facility in PHL, home to many major global pharmaceutical customers, as well as the certification of the CSafe container.
     “Many of the commodities we see come through our facilities are lifesaving and/or highly valuable healthcare products and perishable goods.
     “With the introduction of the new high-tech, fuel-efficient 787, it’s now possible to offer quick, high-quality shipping services to and from some of the farther-flung parts of our network, including Asia and Latin America.
     American has daily departures planned for 2015 that will include service between DFW and PEK, DFW and Buenos Aires (EZE), DFW and Shanghai, and Chicago (ORD) and Narita (NRT); also included is the recently announced service between Los Angeles (LAX) and Sydney (SYD), that commences in December of this year (2015).”

GLN & Other Alliances

     “Alliances have delivered benefits all around.
     “We have adopted a multi-layered customer relationship strategy at American Airlines as we seek to become an even more important supplier to customers of all sizes.
     “Relationships like this are a great way of engaging with a different segment of customers, getting access to their key decision makers, and hopefully providing them with some key relationships at a senior level within American Airlines.
     “The relationship with groups like GLN also help to provide a really good source of feedback regarding our product offering and how effectively it meets our evolving customer needs.
     “Broadly speaking, we welcome the opportunity of having new ways of engaging with current and new customers and this can include working closely with industry organizations and forwarder groups.”

Forwarders & American Cargo

     Ask Roger Samways how important forwarders are and there is barely a pause before a resounding “Very!” escapes his lips.
     “Forwarders are key partners, providing complementary services such as infrastructure and expertise that we simply don’t provide (for example warehousing for long-term storage, customs brokerage, service to door, and in some cases more deeply embedded 4PL services).
     “The relationship with our forwarders ultimately needs to be strong in order to enable us to effectively meet shippers’ needs.
     “Our success comes down to our customer focus.
     “Customers are our partners and ensuring we stay ahead of the curve to continuously meet their needs means we’re doing our jobs right.
     “We stay well attuned to those needs and collaborate with our customers on an ongoing basis to provide the most reliable, enhanced service possible.
     “After almost 70 years in the air freight business, American continues to evolve with the industry by offering innovative ideas and solutions as the need arises.”

Connections . . . Although change is the constant, some things remain the same . . .      Here in 1938, a trailblazing AA Douglas DC3 loads high-value consignments via special handling.      Today, even as highly developed IT-driven cargo loads via a variety of containers & pallets, an AA Boeing B787 finds room for some last minute, special handling “must ride” cargo.

Where Business As Usual Is Unusual

      “I’m not sure there is such a thing as a typical week, which is one of the reasons that I love my job, and the Cargo industry, so much!
     “It will involve a lot of customer-focused work, either meeting with customers across our global network or engaging with them via conference calls during those weeks when I’m based in the office.
     “This could include any combination of meeting with my team to discuss our Global and Key account strategy and performance and reviewing our interline relationships (around 10 percent of American’s total Cargo business comes from Interline and so this is an important focus for us as an organization).
     “Part of these discussions also involve finding ways in which we can further leverage these relationships to benefit our customers, and speaking with our sales team, including GSAs, in order to gauge the current market conditions.
     “My team and I work closely with cross departmental groups as we discuss short and longer term strategies aimed at meeting our evolving customer needs… the list goes on!”

How Roger Gets Over

     “Typically my travel is a reasonable 175,000+ miles a year, primarily to Europe, Asia, and Latin America, but with some domestic travel thrown in for good measure. I aim to spend around 40 percent of my time out there, somewhere, mostly visiting our customers and sales team across our network.
     “I love the opportunity this gives me to meet people face to face and always find it easier to understand specific market issues if one has first-hand experience.”

Major Hurdles Facing Air Cargo

     “There are a myriad [number of hurdles], some positive and some less so, facing the future of the air cargo business.
     “As an industry we need to deal with economic uncertainty in some areas of the world and the potential impact that this might have upon our business, as well as how best to address overcapacity in some markets, the changing needs of our customers, the need for greater visibility of information through the supply chain, the demand for faster end-to-end solutions, competition from other modes of transportation, and the need to embrace technology at a much faster rate than the industry.
     “The fact is, our cargo industry is constantly changing—and American Airlines has done a great job at adapting and evolving as needed.
     “As we implement needed changes, we strive to keep our customers and their needs top of mind, always asking how each change might impact them and their businesses.”

The Importance of Roger

     Roger Samways says he has enjoyed himself immensely during a 22-year career in air cargo that somehow began by accident after a brief encounter whilst attending a cricket match with his sister at home in the UK.
     “I love the variety that each day brings and the opportunity to build meaningful, long-term relationships.
     “I definitely would endorse a career in air cargo, as it provides a great opportunity for stimulating, productive work, so many diverse roles, plus the opportunity to travel.”
     Roger said he and wife Lucy “enjoy travel anywhere with great beaches and/or the opportunity for adventure.”
     Recent holidays have included the Caribbean and Costa Rica, “and we’re spending some time in Nicaragua this summer.”
     Roger said picking a favorite city is “really tough … but I’d have to say London (what else) . . . closely followed by Rome and Tokyo.”
     Places to visit and things yet to do include:
     “Definitely Australia and New Zealand . . . preferably watching an England Cricket Tour,” Roger said.
     As for his favorite foods and hobbies, Roger replied: “Does beer count as food?
     “If not, I’d have to say, curry!
     “For the other part, anything sports related and I love exercising. My favorite sport to watch is football.
     “By this, I mean proper football, not the American version.
     “An actual fact: My football team (a little known team called “Watford” based northwest of London) has recently been promoted to the Premier League in the UK.
     “It’s tough to get back to see them play very often (although I have been known to make the odd trip) so one of the great things about their promotion is that their games next season will be televised a lot more frequently . . . which will also help the indoctrination process that I’ve started with my son, Dylan!”

What Air Cargo Can Do Better

     “We can always work harder to build and improve relationships with our customers.
     “Remaining engaged with them will help us to enhance our products and services to align best with their needs.
     “Secondly, we are constantly focused on guaranteeing the highest quality, reliable service possible.
     “By continuously focusing on our service levels, we can ensure a safe and compliant operation our customers can trust.”

An Immediate Personal Goal

     “It’s pretty unrealistic, but I’d love to beat Doug Brittin (The International Air Cargo Association, TIACA) at table tennis, just once!”

Greatest Accomplishment

     “I’m not sure how to answer this question so I asked my wife, Lucy.
     “She thought long and hard and suggested the time earlier this year that I changed a radiator hose on her car . . . which might have been a subtle dig at my DIY skills (or lack of).
     “The car is still working, by the way,” Roger Samways smiled.
Geoffrey/Flossie

     The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) downgraded the Thai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) to Category 1 effective June 18th, after a Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program (USOAP) audit red flagged a number of safety concerns in January.
     The shortcomings were addressed with DCA after compliance deadlines were set by ICAO, which apparently were not met by DCA.
     DCA operates the 28 domestic airports in Thailand and also provides regulatory oversight over the entire Thai aviation industry; this dual role of the DCA as airport operator and regulator ICAO is considered a possible conflict of interest.
     The ICAO Audit discovered that at some Thai LCCs certain basic ICAO requirements had not been met: Mandatory manuals were not on hand; licensing of staff was not in order, and there was a shortage of qualified aviation inspectors as well as serious deficiencies in the enforcement of the regulations pertaining to the transport of dangerous goods/hazardous materials by air.
     A safety plan submitted by the Thai DCA intended to ward off the downgrade was rejected by ICAO in March 2015.
     ICAO concerns center on low-cost carriers operating in Thailand.
     While ICAO does not have any powers of enforcement, downgrading to Category 1 usually prompts US FAA IASA (International Aviation Safety Assessments) audits for those airlines who operate services to or through the U.S.
     Likewise, the European Aviation Safety Agency EASA would put a Cat. 1 country under scrutiny and, depending on the outcome of investigations, might ban airlines registered from a Cat. 1 country from operating in and out of the EC altogether.
     “The downgrade could create a ripple effect and prompt global aviation agencies to reevaluate the safety of Thai aviation facilities,” said the Economic Intelligence Center of Thailand's Siam Commercial Bank in a press release.
     Kasikornbank’s market analyst Nattariya Wittayatanaseth echoed: "This could dampen the prospects for the tourism sector, which has been the only bright spot for Thailand's economy so far."      The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) simply called the impact of the ICAO downgrade “colossal.”
     Elsewhere, Japan and South Korea took immediate measures in March 2015 by suspending Thai-registered aircraft from operating charter flights and new routes.
     “Thai Airways (TG) had just suspended its all-cargo operations with its two existing 747-400BCFs, citing ‘lack of demand,’ but outlined that those aircraft would be put to charter and ad-hoc work.
     “The route and fleet plans of TG and other carriers are now in shambles,” a source told FlyingTypers.

Thai Switcheroo

     Thai Minister for Transport Prajin Juntong put DCA boss Somchai Phiphutthawat on the sidelines in all of this, ordering the beleaguered Somchai to trade jobs with Thailand Inspector-General Parichart Khotcharat.
     Whether this measure will speed up the fixing of the shortcomings in the Thai aviation system remains to be seen.
     Minister Juntong explained that “the change is for the sake of suitability” while Ms. Parichart commented that “she did not know in advance about the transfer but that she is prepared to do her best in the job,” reported the Bangkok Post.
     So far, TG has been able to minimize the impact of the ICAO downgrade by utilizing outside, ICAO-endorsed inspection procedures in order to avoid its aircraft being subjected to restrictions in foreign airspace.
     “Thai Airways has had to rely on other states’ civil aviation authorities to provide oversight for where Thai Airways operates,” TG said in a subsequent press release.
Jens

   “Have you heard? Eastern Airlines is flying again in 2015, doing charters for Havana Air Charters?”
   A mural of author Ernest “Papa” Hemingway and Fidel Castro shaking hands appears on a wall at a downtown parking lot in Havana, Cuba.
   Cuba is gathering thousands of photos, books, and letters to and from Hemingway to be preserved and presented to the public.
   Eastern Airlines is back in the air with Havana on the menu . . .

   When pioneering USA flag carrier Eastern Airlines dropped dead in 1991, after having been part of the landscape in America from the dawn of commercial aviation and carrying traditions from Eddie Rickenbacker to Frank Borman, many thought that the last of it was the demolition of the carrier's old headquarters office tower at Miami International Airport.
   But if there is one certainty in this world it is that someone will start up another airline.
   So while Pan Am, which also disappeared in 1991, was resurrected in New Hampshire (of all places) but never seems to get much bigger than a repainted B727, here comes the reborn (sort of), Miami-based Eastern Airlines as a sub-contract charter carrier with one bright and shining B737-800.
   The new airline says it will have five such aircraft by the end of 2015, and while that news may quicken the heartbeat of the “never say die” types, we think you shouldn’t hold your breath.
   The B737, dubbed “Spirit of Eddie Rickenbacker,” looks for all the world like the old EA, and the welcome afforded the aircraft late last year when it landed in Miami was sweet.
   But that is about all there is—the old look, bolstered by renewed hope and driven by the unending money of people who want to bring back an airline that once was and might be again.
   It’s good to balance all of this with a current ad running for Emirates that harkens back to the opulent days of early jet travel aboard Pan Am.
   Emirates’ ad point is that “Today is Tomorrow.” Well, apparently aboard EK aircraft “Yesterday is Today”!
   The truth is that in 2015 the world belongs to American, Delta, United, Finnair, Lufthansa, Saudia, SWISS, Turkish, and of course those ever rising Middle Eastern carriers and other airlines around the world who have somehow navigated the pitfalls of post-deregulation, open skies, world conflicts, and natural disasters by having smarts, money, time, and good luck.
   Building and maintaining a quality product during the past four-plus decades of constant change and upheaval cannot be described as an easy trick.
   Eastern, Pan Am, and TWA are now recalled as “once upon a time” airlines; smoke dreams that may somehow find a niche role in today’s world, where it is never over ‘til it’s over.
   Here is an early “Summer Journey” aboard Youtube with some old airline ads, including a great one-minute dish served up by Pan Am in 1968 . . .
   Happy landings, and “Keep ‘em Flying,” we say.
Geoffrey

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