Air Cargo News

     Some people trace it to the Romans, whose pagan orgies were held during the spring season. A few other places celebrate Mardi Gras, but no one does it like New Orleans— the City that Care Forgot!
     The French in New Orleans were having private masked balls and parties in 1718.
     When the Spanish government took over, parties and street dancing were banned.
     It wasn’t until 1827, when Americans were in power, that the right to party in mask was restored—I love America! During the 1850’s, the city’s elite and their elegant Mardi Gras parties were quite a contrast to the wild partying and near-rioting in the streets.
     It was soon clear that all celebrations were in danger of facing another ban.
     In 1857, a group of men formed a secret society called the Mystick Krewe of Comus.
     They knew that Mardi Gras could be preserved with planning, organization, and management of the celebrations. Comus planned the first parade around a theme and used flambeauxs to light the procession.
     The Krewe of Rex formed in 1872—principally to entertain the visiting Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff of Russia.
     Since America didn’t have royalty to properly welcome the Grand Duke, the men in Rex created a King “for the day” so the Grand Duke could be royally received.

Larry
Johnson

     They secretly anointed one of their own (a certain Mr. Halliday) to be the King of Carnival.
     Mockery is a hilarious characteristic of Mardi Gras! (To this day, many parades keep their King’s identity a secret until parade day).
     Mardis Gras, which means Fat Tuesday, takes place before Ash Wednesday New Orleans style is in full tilt boogie right now. More history, news, plus live video and pictures plus the big Fat Tuesday Parade information that you cannot live without at www.mardisgras.com. What a great site, complete with cameras set up around the city. Our favorite BurboCam with live feeds from Bourbon Street in the French Quarter.
     It all comes to a head this Tuesday March 4 with the big parade after which comes the first day of Lent leading up to Easter.
     At New Orleans International Airport, the old cargo pro Larry Johnson manager of air cargo development: larryj@flymsy.com, declares in between bites of boiled crayfish and andouille sausages:
     “Call me next week.”
     We like that.
     All work and no play—as it is said. They do know how to party in New Orleans and that seems just what the world needs right now.
     But we will mention that MSY (now named Louis Armstrong International has a terrific new Perishables Center.
     By the way, do not pronounce the great man’s name Louie, it is Lewis.
     We know that, because we attended high school in Corona, Queens, New York, where Louis lived and used to hang out and talk to us from his front stoop.
     The MSY Perishables Center, part of Larry’s longstanding, forward-looking air cargo development program of making the Delta city an air cargo must, is well-equipped to expedite all manner of perishables, including New Orleans fabulous seafood as well as trans-shipments from Latin America without delay bottlenecks encountered elsewhere.
     “We are ready. But right now let’s party.”
     “Hooray For Larry,” we say.

British Airways unveils yet another plan to cut costs by an additional 450 million pounds ($708 million) by 2005. The cost-cutting scheme comes on top of a draconian plan already in place aimed at slash ing 13,000 jobs, at savings of 650 million pounds by March 2004. BA revealed that it has reduced costs by about one billion pounds as compared to the same time last year. “Cost cutting is ruthless at BA right now,” a source said . . . Atlas Air said that its rev enue jumped 43% last year while it continues to struggle against lowered expectations due to slack economic growth and uncertainty over war. Polar Air acquisition proving to be a stroke of genius. The Purchase, New York air cargo company has delayed a delivery of one B747-400 until 2006, while its top management team continue to wrestle with creditors No lowering of expectations here. Atlas will prevail, echoes through the halls of Purchase. Meantime Po lar is doubling its air cargo handling operations JFK International, New York to make space for even more business . . . Word that pilots retirement under siege amongst the struggling U.S. flag carriers raises a situation of more than a small amount of con cern. Pilots get educated and trained at no mini-ex pense to fly millions aboard high-tech machines for twenty and thirty years, expecting to retire on a sub stantial income. But now the airlines, and even the insurance fund that guaranteed retirement income in doubt. Think about it. Pilots, who in some cases face losing everything, are carrying pistols behind reinforced cockpit doors. The U.S. Government has got to do more in direct, no-strings financial aid to help its airlines get through a period of time that they could not have foreseen or currently have any control over. (See Editorial US Owes Its Airlines) . . . No Blacklist?—Quiet three-airport test has Delta Airlines screening its passengers utilizing credit card and other information. “Red, Yellow and Green List” will cover everyone who flies aboard DL from the three undisclosed airports during test. Red is “no fly”; Yellow designation signifies that passenger can expect at least some additional hassle from TSA; Green means mostly go, as the color usually does. Concerns are for the mistake a key operator might make about someone named Mohammed or Bill or Shirley and what that error might manifest itself into . . . Recent Tiger Woods comment underscores why often sports heroes must watch what they wear that might slip easily over the top of their head but might get stuck on their neck. Woods, who always wears a hat anyway, and is at times a highly paid spokesman for American Express travel cards, decided at the last minute to skip the upcoming Dubai Desert Classic Golf Tournament saying: “It’s just not a safe environment over there right now.” Golf fans who love to wager, will never lose money underestimating the intelligence of Tiger Woods . . . Los Angeles International said it moved 56,223,843 passengers and 1,962,354 tons of air cargo in 2002. Cargo numbers were- 0.34% higher than 1,955,665 tons in 2001. Non-mail cargo volume was up 5.16% from 1,778,151 tons in 2001 to 1,869,932 tons in 2002. Airmail fell off the table at 92,422 tons—down 47.93% from the 2001 level of 177,513 tons due to government restrictions. Air cargo at LAX went up beginning last June every month, but September. Levels began recovering last June and remained higher than monthly levels in 2001 for every month except September . . . Realizing savings because of its code share arrangement with TAM, Varig turns back six 767s on lease from GE Capital Aviation while partner TAM reduces flights on key domestic routes by nearly one third in March . . . Driven by a big jump in international cargo, air cargo handled at Malaysian airports scored a 16.3% increase totaling 803,612 tons in 2002, up 112,587 tons over 2001. International cargo accounted for 92% of the total air cargo handled by Malaysian airports last year. Biggest cargo increases were recorded at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang as that airport’s new cargo center grew by 20% to 518,822 tons in 2002 . . . Who would have thunk it dept.: Swiss International Air Lines has in place a “package of emergency measures” dumping 700 jobs plus grounding of 20 aircraft March 30th just a year after combining defunct Swissair into Crossair and announcing a comeback. To make matters worse, Swiss said that it would lose money in 2003 even after having made an earlier cut last November of five aircraft and 300 jobs. You have to think that this world is really upside down. Throughout its history, Swissair was always a classy, albeit a bit self-assured airline. “Swiss efficiency” was always more than a watchword at the carrier. It’s hard to imagine the airline looking like a bunch of bums compared to any other time. Maybe Swissair was never as good as they and everybody else thought they were. But fleet reductions and city service paring may eventually point to Swiss, an airline today of about 80 aircraft combining into another European carrier . . . If you want to know which airplane is the best, a good barometer is Singapore Airlines. Once when SIA got the 1000th B747 ever built, after taking delivery from Boeing we were flying about, 50 of us writers in an empty airplane on a ferry flight from Everett to Changi. In the middle of the night, enroute to a lav in coach (all of us were quite taken as being the first to use this lav or that facility elsewhere on the 1000th B747), I noticed a guy looking out of the little peek-hole on the emergency exit door. I asked him what he was doing and the answer was: “I am watching the up and down motion of the winglets.” What happens if they move too much?, I wondered. “The aircraft goes back to the factory,” was the terse reply. Singapore Airlines reportedly has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to replace a number of aircraft. What is supposed is the A340-600 versus the 777-300ER for the coveted nod at SIA. For its part, SIA says it is keeping its options open. Lately it should be mentioned, as these things go, Airbus and Boeing have been divvying up orders, although SIA is expected to pick just one big aircraft here. Move by airline confirms that commercial aviation is getting to right-size aircraft with advanced technology as quickly as possible. Boeing knows this and has accelerated its effort at creating a high-tech smaller version of its fabulous B777 (see Boeing Comes Down To Earth aircargonews.com). SIA is also looking to replace smaller jets for regional service with approval expected to go to A321. As mentioned earlier, right now in the wide world of aviation, Singapore Airlines holds the kind of sway with its finicky RFP approval process that once was part of the franchise at Pan Am . . . Emirates SkyCargo debuts its new Emirates SkyCargo Center at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport and a trucking service linking it with Dubai International Airport. Daily scheduled three-ton bonded truck operations mean that customers in Ras Al Khaimah no longer need to travel to Dubai to collect or dispatch their goods. Jassim Saif, Emirates’ Cargo Sales Manager UAE, commented: “Most shipments coming into Dubai on Emirates are transit goods. This new service makes the distribution of goods to Ras Al Khaimah easier and more efficient. It benefits the customers, the airline and Ras Al Khaimah.” Several important industries are based in the Ras Al Khaimah Free Zone. These include plastics and ceramics manufacturers and publishers. Elsewhere, Qatar Airways, amidst fleet expansion while adding routes, will set up its hub operations in Sharjah from Oman in case of war . . . Korean Air flew into the black last year thanks to robust building market in Mainland China where numbers of passengers carried went up an unbelievable 43%. Systemwide air cargo rose a solid 12% to 6.2 billion FTKs. KAL wants to be number one air cargo airline in the world and don’t think that Ken Choi and company might not achieve that lofty goal. KAL Cargo action into Vietnam is building, as the airline’s aggressive cargo marketing program with new world partners SkyTeam Cargo . . .

     In America what most people think they know about Cricket is that they were the backup singers for legendary rocker Buddy Holly.
     Almost everywhere else, Cricket is a sport with lathered up fans, inside and outside the air cargo industry, bowled over by the ICC Cricket World Cup from now until March 23rd.
     Well, widen your world-wise knowledge or stop walking around stupid. Emirates SkyCargo, your friend in Dubai, UAE is offering coverage of the Cricket World Cup live on its website throughout the entire championship.
     Go to www.sky-cargo.com. Get constant up-to-the-minute updates on every match being played and more.
     At office, or at home, PC users can keep their eye on the ball, thanks to a scorecard that can be downloaded at the click of a button from the website to the desktop.
     Now here is an ad pitch (presented in the spirit of a Super Bowl commercial that people say they love to hear), plus a chance to win something:
     “With its cargo consignments and World Cup coverage, Emirates SkyCargo aims at nothing less than a perfect delivery.”
     Cricket 2003 information from Emirates SkyCargo measures up with match schedules and fixture information, a live scorecard, a ball by ball commentary, automatically updated every 60 seconds.
     What that means is, that you can heighten the action, experience and excitement by holding your breath between changes on your computer screen.
     That’s not all.
     By filling in a simple e-form, Cricket fans (aren’t we all?) can enter a drawing for two Business Class tickets to any destination of their choice on the Emirates network.
     “We think we have hit a sixer with our Cricket World Cup coverage,” Prakash Nair, Emirates’ Cargo Marketing Manager.
     Think of it. By the end of World Cup 2003 even you will know what a “sixer” means.
     Another short EK pitch here:
     “Many of the test-playing nations are on the Emirates network, which now includes 64 destinations in 45 countries. Emirates SkyCargo ensures delivery anywhere in the world with interline agreements, GSA representation and trucking systems in Europe, India and Australia.”
     Next year in April (2004) Emirates will spread its wings offering B777-500 service into John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.