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Reporters and other maniacs of the so-called fourth estate often jump to placing emphasis on the important or memorable breaking news in a story by ending the sentence or paragraph or headline or proclamation with "A Slammer"; ie-news talk for an exclamation point!
As Cargo Network Services Corp. (CNS) Partnership Conference meets for the 35th time beginning today Monday May 18 through May 20, CNS President Alicia Lines leaves no doubt about it:
“CNS is fit and ready to go!," Alicia declared.
“We look forward to hosting this year’s CNS Partnership Conference in San Francisco.
“It’s been a while since we have been on the West Coast, home to the U.S. high-tech and AI industries, a sector that is increasingly relying on air cargo. The current geopolitical climate has also brought the importance of trans-pacific air cargo connectivity to the forefront.
“The nature of our Partnership Conference is such that it fosters collaboration and dialogue across the sector, enabling industry leaders to better manage common and emerging challenges—including market and political volatility, infrastructure concerns, evolving regulations, and ongoing digital transformation.
“While air cargo has always played a critical role in delivering life-saving medicines, humanitarian aid, and maintaining resilient supply chains, it was no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic which brought the criticality of air cargo to the modern world to the forefront."
“Every shipment & every delegate in CNS Partnership matters!"
Great short CNS video here . . .
The 2026 CNS Partnership Conference is expected to draw more than 700 air cargo leaders. The schedule is built around networking, technology conversations, and the kinds of strategic discussions that shape where the industry goes next. And the focus isn’t only on big-picture vision. It’s also about practical collaboration between the people who actually move freight every day: airlines, forwarders, and the wider ecosystem that supports them.
 The main venue is the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, right in the heart of downtown. If you’re flying into San Francisco International Airport, SFO, you’re typically looking at a 20 to 30-minute drive to the hotel, depending on traffic.
It’s a classic, central conference setup: easy access, walkable surroundings, and a location that puts attendees right in the middle of the city’s core business and hospitality district.
But CNS Partnership is never just about sitting in ballrooms all day. The program also includes off-site experiences designed to create more relaxed, memorable ways to meet people and strengthen connections. On the calendar this year in addition to the CNS Partnership Golf Classic at the Presidio Golf Course, for non golfers there is a gala dinner excursion up to Napa Valley . . . The intent is pretty simple: when you take conversations out of a meeting room, people open up, talk more freely, and build the kind of trust that later turns into smoother operations and better commercial outcomes.
Alicia Lines also represents a milestone for the organization. She is the second woman to serve as President of CNS, following Laura Pullins, who was named in 2022. And Alicia’s background is deeply rooted in the industry’s operational and financial backbone.
Alicia began her aviation career more than two decades ago as IATA’s Country Manager for the Western Caribbean, then moved into IATA’s regional office for the Americas in Miami. Over time she took on roles spanning human resources, leadership support functions, and eventually a major operational portfolio as Regional Director for Financial and Distribution Services.
In that role, she oversaw critical settlement systems for the Americas, including BSP for passenger sales and CASS for cargo, which are central to how the industry reconciles and pays what’s owed across complex networks. Since April 2024, she also carried additional responsibility for regional cargo operations and served as acting interim CNS President before taking the top role officially in 2025.
It’s worth stepping back and remembering what CNS Partnership represents at this point.
At around three and a half decades in, it’s no longer a new experiment.
It’s a mature industry gathering with a consistent mission: strengthen cooperation not only between airlines and forwarders, but across the many interconnected parts of the air cargo chain.
In an era when supply chains are under constant pressure, that cooperation is less of a nice-to-have and more of a competitive necessity.
CNS Lines To The Future
Alicia Lines has been emphasizing something the air cargo world understands deeply: relationships still move this business.
Her view is that the conference should feel like the perfect setting to deepen those relationships over three days, not only through sessions, but also through structured and informal networking opportunities.
The Meet & Greet session returns this year to further build networking opportunities, where airlines and freight forwarders can pre-schedule meetings, exchange contacts, explore partnerships, and discuss business opportunities.
That kind of setup can be powerful. Instead of hoping you bump into the right person at the right time, it creates a deliberate pathway for introductions, quick discussions, and follow-ups that can turn into real business.
One of the plenary sessions for this year will address The State of the Industry, with key insights into the current state of the U.S. air cargo industry, including economic trends, operational challenges, and market dynamics.
The popular Innovation Stage will provide a forum for topics including a look at
One Record: a A look at how the industry is adopting it,with insights from key stakeholders and learnings on what it takes to move from concept to real implementation.
Artificial Intelligence and Air Cargo: Discover how the industry is implementing AI to deliver tangible value across logistics and air cargo.
E-commerce and Air Cargo: Industry leaders will discuss how air cargo and logistics partners are improving networks, processes, and partnerships to meet growing global e‑commerce demands.
Dangerous Goods in Air Cargo: Hear how the industry is making advancements in multiple areas to strengthen detection, compliance, and risk‑mitigation.
U.S. ACE Export Manifest: Experts will tackle what’s changing and explain the key technical, regulatory, and operational impacts of the current air cargo test and how it improves accuracy, efficiency, and compliance in U.S. exports.
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The promise of the CNS Partnership Conference is that it gives companies a place to compare notes, learn what’s coming, and build alliances that make future change easier.
It’s a platform for insights, but also for momentum. You can expand your network, refine your brand in front of key decision-makers, and walk away with partnerships that help you compete more effectively.
And that’s the heart of it: three days in San Francisco designed to help the cargo community connect, collaborate, and leave with a clearer sense of what the next chapter of air cargo should look like.
If the industry really is going to shape its future around smarter technology, more sustainable operations, and a better end-to-end experience for customers, it’s going to take more than ideas.
It’s going to take people meeting, agreeing, disagreeing, and ultimately working together.
CNS Partnership 2026 has positioned itself as the place where that work begins.
Geoffrey Arend
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