Cathay Pacific Cargo is rolling out its latest digital innovation, Click & Ship – a new online booking platform that offers registered customers an intuitive, always-on booking interface.
The booking site mimics many features of the passenger flight booking experience, and users will be able to book through an easy, three-step process whenever they like – with most bookings confirmed on the spot. It also gives visibility of pricing and space availability to defined routes with just a few clicks of the mouse, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
‘Our customers have been telling us that they want a quicker and more efficient way to book shipments at any time,’ said Tom Owen, Director Cargo. ‘We listened. We’re rolling out Click & Ship progressively across our network and we aim to make real-time flight schedules, space availability, allotments, and updated rate information available on cathaypacificcargo.com and ezycargo.com for all Cathay Pacific Cargo customers over the next year.’
The global roll-out is being led by the South West Pacific region, where customers have been trialling the technology ahead of a wider introduction. Cathay Pacific Cargo has been at the vanguard in removing paper and manual processes, working with its technical provider and IATA e-freight partner, Global Logistics System HK Co Ltd (GLSHK), to update processes and data links within the wider airfreight industry. The launch of the Click & Ship platform is a giant leap forward in this end-to-end digitalisation of cargo processes and services.
‘Click & Ship will transform the cargo booking experience through a streamlined process and fast, intuitive interface that mimics the passenger ticket-booking experience,’ Owen adds. ‘It gives our customers visibility of our inventory and means registered agents can book shipments at their convenience with auto-confirmation.’
While Click & Ship will only be available for registered customers to begin with, the underlying digitisation work will enable dynamic pricing in future and will make Cathay Pacific Cargo’s pricing available to other users via third-party platforms. ‘We wanted our own platform so we could take ownership and maintain our customer relationships,’ says George Edmunds, GM Commercial. ‘Those who want to work with us directly can, but then in future we can widen our market.’
Click & Ship follows other Cathay Pacific Cargo digital initiatives, including Ultra Track and trials for greater connectivity of data through IATA’s ONE Record protocols. ‘Click & Ship stays true to our vision to become the world’s most customer-centric air cargo service brand through greater digitalisation,’ says Owen. ‘We hope this and other innovations we offer will deliver value for our business partners through more agile and responsive services.’
To learn more about Click & Ship, click here.