COVID-19 and the Future of Air Cargo
Our CEO recently interviewed Jessica Tyler, President of American Airlines Cargo on the impact of the pandemic on air cargo and the key role commercial airlines play in Operation Warp Speed to distribute 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines across the United States by March 31. Full story on CLDA’s Winter Issue.
The pandemic has had a significant impact on the airline industry. Passenger demands have been cut drastically, and airlines have been called upon to transport millions of tons of PPE, test kits and doses of COVID vaccines in addition to the normal goods shipped on the airline around the globe.
The President of American Airlines Cargo, Jessica Tyler, knows this only too well. Since March, the airline has been challenging the team to get creative in meeting customers’ needs, especially as passenger flights reduced dramatically. One such effort is to keep flying cargo on the fleet, even without passengers on board. “We’ve flown nearly 5000 cargo-only flights since March and we plan to have another 2500 this first quarter,” she says. Tyler took over the hybrid role of President of Cargo and Vice President of Airport Excellence for American Airlines in July.
Her group was intimately involved in adapting the airline to respond to the pandemic. As passenger travel dried up, cargo expanded.
“A ton of work by our incredible team allowed us to get these cargo-only flights in the air for the first time in over 35 years. Every day we’re figuring out ways to offer our strengths to serve the world. That takes adaptability, creativity, and a lot of hard-work,” Tyler says. “American Airlines has been able to play an important role in all that’s happening to keep critical goods like PPE, vaccine trials and vaccines moving.”
A Critical Part of the Global Supply Chain
American Airlines Cargo plays an important part of the global supply chain as 55% of all air cargo that move to/from/through the United States will travel in the belly of a passenger aircraft. Large freight companies such as UPS and FedEx partner with commercial airlines like American because they fly to destinations that are part of the world’s largest passenger network. “Many people may have no idea that something they ordered online and showed up at their door in a brown truck actually could have traveled on American for part of its journey. ” points out Tyler. “The rest of the world is starting to understand the role the commercial airlines play in keeping the world’s economy moving.”
Meeting the Unique Demands of the COVID Vaccine
As Operation Warp Speed continues, American Airlines will be a player in the industry-wide effort to distribute 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines across the United States by March 31.
The carrier has been transporting sensitive medical supplies since the 1940s. “We have incredible processes in place. We’re experienced with time-sensitive shipments that require a high level of care throughout their journeys,” Tyler says.
The airline is prepared to handle the COVID vaccines’ in-transit temperature requirements. They have been certified by the IATA standards of CEIV to meet the demands of these types of temperature-controlled shipments.
“We are going above and beyond requirements. Perfection is what we’re looking for,” Tyler says. “We have a process in place to make sure every single one of these shipments is taken care of every step of the way. We want to play a role in getting people healthy.”
Another critical part of transporting the vaccine is the need for strict tracking and visibility through the journey. American is well-prepared for this task. “We have great scanning technology that feeds into our newly upgraded systems,” she says. “The system’s data intelligence tools allow us to create all types of views. We can tell before something fails. We can know if it’s at risk of failing. That’s because we have micro milestones and a variety of dashboards. It’s all about avoiding misses before they happen.”
In August, American Airlines completed a three-year effort to replace more than 90 of its legacy systems, transforming them into modern one cargo management system comprised of just 10 modules. Because of this effort, American had the technology in place to more easily respond to COVID relief efforts. “Our technology modernization efforts allowed us to be adaptable and respond very quickly,” she says. “For example, with these modern systems in place, we were able to quickly create a special commodity code for the COVID vaccine in a matter of minutes, bringing visibility to these shipments to the right people.”
The Future of the Air Cargo Industry
To Tyler, the pandemic, its impact on passenger air travel and the increased demand for air cargo have provided watershed moments for the airlines like American. “We want to build back up intelligently, efficiently, and with a renewed sense of purpose,” she says.
Tyler is positive that American and others in the industry will emerge stronger and more responsive. “I think we’re seeing how important it is to remain flexible and find new ways to serve the needs of the end-customer. It may require creative partnerships, not just between airlines but also with those who provide services that the end-customer needs,” she says. “Being customer-centric and being creative about how we serve our customers is what our incredible team does best, no matter what is going on in the world around us.
