APL INTRODUCES SHIPPING INDUSTRY’S FIRST “LIVE” SCHEDULES
APL has introduced live interactive schedules on the Internet, a first
in the ocean carrier industry.
Carriers have traditionally published printed schedules, generally
weekly or monthly, or they have posted "static" customer schedules on the
Internet on their own or through third-party schedule providers.
But updates of APL’s live schedules are now made on a real-time basis,
automatically updating sailing dates and times directly from the company’s global
logistics routing system, the carrier said.
APL said that, in the airline business, passengers have had access to
interactive flight schedules on the Internet for some time.
Ocean carriers and their customers, though, traditionally rely on
outdated schedules.
"The industry has come to accept that sailing dates must be verified,
and that connections may be missed because of unpublished or unexpected scheduling
adjustments that result from severe weather or other factors," said Hans Hickler,
APL’s vice president of customer support and information strategy.
APL’s web site is at http://www.apl.com .