Coronavirus

“Optics” are bad but freight pricing doesn’t appear to meet regulatory bar for intervention.

American Airlines is downsizing. That means the new cargo president and her team are taking on expanded roles.

Air Transport International will operate a big cargo plane for an express carrier in the Pacific region on a route in and out of Hong Kong.

The Australian government threw a logistics lifeline to exporters having trouble securing air transport to international markets. Hundreds of companies have grabbed on during a tight market. Now, more relief is on the way.

The air freight market appears saner in recent weeks, with less competition among shippers for transport services. But the shape of the recovery is anyone’s guess and a possible demand spike for face masks and surgical gowns could create a hyper-market again.

Truck drivers traveling in Texas will have to don face masks in public as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s new COVID-19 mandate, issued on July 2.

A Bermuda-based airline sees a business opportunity with the COVID pandemic and is jumping into the cargo market.

Total cargo volume is down 7.8% this year because of reduced import demand.

Airlines are sweating the coronavirus pandemic despite the recent upturn in travel. El Al says it might fail and Aeromexico went the bankruptcy route.

Cargo flights from Vietnam to the U.S. were rare until COVID and the need for speed for supplies to quell the outbreak. It’s a long trip, but it can make economic sense now to make that flight without a stopover.

Global trade fallout from the crew-repatriation crisis has begun — and looks poised to snowball.

Shipboard COVID cases will make it even harder to roll back travel restrictions that block crew changes.

Glass half empty – cargo business and finances are bad for the airlines. Glass half full – they’re not as bad as they were two months ago.

O’Hare Airport in Chicago is facing cargo congestion and now Delta Air Lines is not accepting any more cargo at its facility until further notice.

Lufthansa is too big to fail in Germany. Now it has a bailout.

United Airlines and Delta are dipping their toes back into the China market. But with COVID-19 and political tensions rising it won’t be a surprise if they are stopped again.

Big cargo planes are dumping cargo faster than O’Hare, LAX and other airports can process it. That could mean a longer wait for your new favorite gadget.

EU e-commerce regulation will bring “one of the most impactful changes.”

Retail stock pickers bet big on tankers. Dry bulk remains less enticing despite rate surge.

DHL Express continues to adjust its airline network amid changing shipper needs in the COVID era.

Face shields, gloves and hand sanitizer were yesterday’s hot airfreight product. Now the cool shipments that people need right away are yoga pants, bikes and hot tubs.

By artificially restricting capacity, carrier alliances have engineered rates higher and may book a profit this year.

The U.S. Department of Transportation says it won’t entertain requests from Chinese airlines to operate more flights beyond the current cap.

Personal protective equipment is moving by ocean, so FEMA doesn’t need to charter expensive freighter aircraft anymore to get the stuff to healthcare workers.

Fiscal-year finish 50,000 containers below plan is forecast.

Some small and mid-size airlines are filing for bankruptcy, or going out of business. Lufthansa is a major airline and it too is on the ropes.

LATAM Airlines Argentina is closing, but the move won’t impact international travel.

New data reveals third-quarter ocean schedules still largely intact — a positive sign on cargo bookings.

Port Logistics operates a 140,000-square-foot refrigerated warehouse at Berth 219.

The U.S. Senate is proposing fixes for the FAA certification of new aircraft. It’s an issue after the Boeing 737 MAX was grounded.

Winter is a cold period for airlines’ bottom lines. Throw in COVID-19 challenges and airlines face a difficult road to next year. That is why they are knocking on doors for help.

Reduced number of canceled sailings indicates return of cargo.

The U.S. is loosening restrictions on flights by Chinese airlines after China partially reopened its aviation market to U.S. carriers.

Lori Ann LaRocco explains why intra-Asian trade is down and its affect on the United States.

It’s a turbulent period in Europe for the aviation industry. Regional travel is reopening in the EU, but the UK has tightened travel restrictions and airlines are struggling to stay in business without government assistance.

Around 45,000 auto workers are on hold in Puebla, Mexico, as local authorities said they will not allow the automotive manufacturing industry to resume production over coronavirus fears.

It’s still a seller’s market in airfreight, but rates are finally moderating.

Air cargo and cross-border trade could be unintended victims of the dispute between the U.S. and China over access by their respective passenger airlines.

Gene Seroka reports worst May in more than a decade, predicts 15% of import cargo won’t return

Truckers have once again proved they can rise to any challenge. Motor carriers should reflect on COVID-19 to prepare themselves for the next time disaster strikes.

The safety of all motorists is paramount. An organizaton that is focused on the safety of truckers is Together for Safer Roads. Learn more about its mission and how it works.

Governments are taking equity stakes in airlines or putting conditions on them for aid. Cathay Pacific, a big passenger-cargo combination carrier, and Austrian Airlines are two of the latest to get a helping hand.

Global trade could be the next casualty if the virus resurges, warns OECD.

Crews stranded during the pandemic have garnered media attention — “and that’s a good thing”

Airlines continue to send out SOS distress signals. The industry’s main trade association says profit margins will drop 20% this year, but the increased reliance on air cargo is helping companies stay alive and keep employees.

COVID effects far from over, but more positive news on the trans-Pacific.

French carrier trumpets its resilience and agility during coronavirus crisis

As food insecurity grows in the nation, a critical need for transporting available food is exposing gaps in the supply chain.

Passenger planes are flying empty. Are there ghosts? It sounds kind of creepy. No need to worry. Airlines are simply putting their assets to use with cargo as their primary customer.

Airlines are looking at a multiyear road to parity with 2019, but bookings have given them confidence to start opening up networks closed by the coronavirus.

Tulsa-based Stone Trucking is shutting down its operations and laying off 51 employees. The company was a flatbed, oversize and heavy haul carrier.

Food logistics supply chains are gradually showing signs of recovery.

An exclusive interview with Sea-Intelligence CEO Alan Murphy on how canceled sailings can signal future demand.

Global stewardship includes aim to be carbon neutral by 2050

The airfreight market is a volatile conundrum. Overall, demand is down. But with few planes flying these days and everyone wanting a face mask, good luck finding affordable space for your shipment of auto parts or seafood.

Tire inflation company Aperia is trying to gain market share by offering its solution with no upfront cost. Plus, movie industry freight haulers have received an exemption from drug testing rules and a judge has denied FedEx’s request to dismiss a racial discrimination suit.

June is supposed to be the heavy travel season, but instead of operating full planes, airlines are busy trying to save their financial lives.

Lessons learned from shipowner woes in the wake of the global financial crisis.

“A lot of those small trucking companies, they’ll come back.”

Mass layoffs can help a company survive the coronavirus recession for the time being, but the damage will hurt its long-term prospects, United CEO Scott Kirby says.

The waivers were given to passenger and freight railroads because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. government’s emergency aid package was only a Band-Aid for protecting jobs. Airlines promised not to have involuntary layoffs for six months, but now American Airlines is paving the way for mass layoffs.

The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.  News reports that Uber is re-evaluating non-core units […]

Litigious society wants someone to pay for coronavirus-related business losses

Lufthansa and Germany have agreed on a rescue plan for the airline, but the European Union wants to take a pound of flesh from the German carrier before allowing the deal to go through.

Coronavirus hit to Brazilian exports is a nightmare scenario for dry bulk — and cases in Brazil are mounting fast.

United Airlines’ new CEO is putting his stamp on the company right away with a new tteam to steer the company through the coronavirus pandemic and beyond.

Rates for ocean transport of propane could surge if the worst of the coronavirus crisis is past.

The coronavirus isn’t slowing down UPS Airlines. It’s continuing with a major fleet expansion and new routes because of e-commerce trends.

For specialized industries such as health care and aerospace, the stakes of supply chain interruptions and service failures have never been higher.

Airlines like Air Canada are raising private capital through various means, while also seeking emergency government assistance.

Airlines are in a no-win situation. They need money now to keep from going under but know that debt payments will make it more difficult to make ends meet in the years to come.

LATAM Airlines is looking for protection from creditors as it downsizes, something that all airlines are trying to figure out how to do in the face of a pandemic that has wiped out travel demand.

Lufthansa will temporarily become a German-state owned company again with a pending plan to give the airline billions of dollars in emergency aid to withstand the fallout from the coronavirus.

“The Impacts of COVID-19 on the United States, Mexico, and Canada Cross-border movements” webinar was presented by the Transportation Intermediaries Association.

Fewer sailings will be canceled starting in July but that won’t help restock shelves in June.

Kuehne + Nagel’s Bill Rooney takes aim at RFQs and bunker surcharges in remarks to Agriculture Transportation Coalition

(Updated May 25, 2020, 8:10 P.M. ET, with news about Emirates.) Air France-KLM Group (FP: AF) said it has permanently eliminated double-deck Airbus A380 aircraft from its fleet, joining other […]

Ship calls and volume expected to pick up in July, officials from South Carolina and New York/New Jersey ports tell the Agriculture Transportation Coalition

Canceled shipments hurt carriers as much as blanked sailings sting customers, says Hamburg Süd’s president for North America

Quick action sets the bar for terminal operators across the country, says Agriculture Transportation Coalition chief

One of the big innovations for passenger airlines during the coronavirus era is using their planes as dedicated cargo haulers. Cargo 2.0 was putting boxes in storage bins and other seats. Cargo 3.0 is cargo on seats.

Port of LA chief promotes nationwide port optimization system to enhance visibility and improve execution

At least two governments, Australia and New Zealand, are helping to correct distortions in the airfreight market.

The word of the day: deep clean. Except for picking up trash, cleaning airplanes before the coronavirus happened mostly after a long day of flying. Now cleanliness is a top priority. Planes and terminals are being cleaned throughout the day, and much more thoroughly.

FourKites has announced several new features, including paperless document transfer and communication tools, to enhance worker safety, improve shipment tracking, and speed payment processes.

Tanker owners increasingly point to upside to come after floating storage unloads.

In some states, companies are now allowed to bring their employees back into the building. That process may end up being far more complex than anticipated.

Airline watchers need to pump the brakes on optimism for an industry recovery just because some preliminary figures show an uptick in bookings and fewer cancellations, says Delta’s CFO.

An exclusive interview with Deutsche Bank’s Amit Mehrotra on what COVID-19 means to transport stocks.

Pandemic-caused shortages put spotlight on importance of cargo moved through California ports

Driegert said that shipper expectations for technology and speed of execution have irrevocably shifted.

Brian Aoaeh provides statistics and insight into how freight and shipping professionals are working during the pandemic.

The more sailings cancelled, the more risk to companies leasing container ships to carriers.

Airlines know 2020 will be financially bleak but are seeing some green shoots of customer activity as encouraging.

Warehouse operations have also been affected by COVID-19. Here are some suggestions that may help increase efficiency of operations.

As various parts of the nation and the world begin to open up, there will be logistical and supply chain issues. Darren Prokop explores those issues.