United Cargo is placing its airfreight capacity on a third-party online booking platform for the first time through a partnership with Webcargo.
United Cargo is currently active on the platform for customers in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the UK, with plans to expand availability to US and Canadian customers later in May.
The two companies also worked together on developing United Cargo’s own new booking platform.
“This booking channel complements its current website capabilities and gives customers a choice in how to access and book United Cargo’s available capacity,” WebCargo said in a press release.
United Cargo president Jan Krems said: “Our customers are seeking new ways to communicate and book with us. The enhanced booking functionality on our website, along with our participation in the WebCargo marketplace, are two new booking options for our customers. It’s another step forward in delivering an even better customer experience.
“We are excited about these advancements and our collaboration with the WebCargo team spanning both our portal and the WebCargo platform.”
Manuel Galindo, chief revenue officer at WebCargo parent Freightos added: “It’s no secret, there is a rapid adoption of eBookings, particularly across Europe and the Americas. By combining United Cargo’s booking portal with the thousands of forwarders on the WebCargo and 7LFreight booking platform, forwarders large and small can now access United Cargo services 24/7, wherever they choose.”
With the addition of United, WebCargo has the capacity of all three major US carriers on its platform, with Delta Air Lines and American Airlines also available for booking.
The carrier has been pushing its digital development over the last 12 months.
At the start of 2023, Krems told Air Cargo News that it had launched a beta project with 12 clients for online bookings of express and general cargo.
United has also introduced a price quote tool that gives visibility of all the different options and possible routes.
At the time, he said dynamic pricing for online quotes and bookings is also in the works as well as the development of APIs.
Partnerships key for United Cargo’s growth
