Newsletter: February 11, 2022

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Strike action threatens Vancouver Airport operations

aircargonews.net
Air cargo operations could be disrupted at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) following the decision by air fuellers to vote in favour of taking strike action against Swissport Canada.
Swissport manages the refuelling of almost all passenger and cargo aircraft at YVR, and Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) regional executive vice president Jamey Mills has issued a warning for potential disruption of work at the airport. Read more here.

IATA Wants Travel Bans Dropped As COVID-19 Becomes Endemic

simpleflying.com
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) continues its campaign to reboot the airline industry and is again calling on governments to relax travel restrictions further as COVID-19 evolves from the pandemic to the endemic stage. IATA wants all travel barriers (including quarantine and testing) removed for fully vaccinated travelers. Read more here.

Korean Air merger doesn’t affect cargo competition

aircargonews.net
Korean Air’s acquisition of Asiana Airlines will not reduce cargo competition, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) has concluded.
The CCCS has given Korean Air unconditional approval for its takeover of Asiana Airlines on February 8, ruling that the acquisition will not in infringe Singapore’s 2004 Competition Act. Read more here.

WestJet appointments will see carrier climb to new altitudes in air cargo

theloadstar.com
Low-cost Canadian carrier WestJet looks set to make a mark on the industry.
Owned since December 2019 by private equity company Onex Partners, it appears – if its hiring policy is anything to go by – to have ambitious plans. Read more here (login required).

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Will the carrier pay my cargo claim? The answer may surprise you

freightwaves.com
As supply chains become more global and intricate, the risk of loss or damage to goods in transit increases. On a long enough timeline, challenges such as extreme rigors of transit, long voyages, extensive handling and rehandling, inclement weather, targeted theft, and impostor schemes guarantee losses.
In the absence of shipper’s interest cargo insurance to protect the cargo owner against financial loss, carrier’s liability is all that remains, and cargo owners are often disappointed by the all-too-common misconception that the carrier will fully cover their loss. They might even ask the logistics service provider, “They’re going to pay for this, right?” Such misconceptions are mainly present in claims scenarios when negligence seems evident, or a party has admitted fault. Ultimately, the cargo owner is appalled by a nominal award amount that falls far short of the owner’s financial loss. Read more here.  

World’s Damaged Supply Chains Brace for Painful Recovery

gcaptain.com
Feb 11 (Reuters) – Signs are growing that a global supply chain crisis which has confounded central bank inflation forecasts, stunted economic recoveries and compressed corporate margins could finally start to unwind towards the end of this year.
But trade channels have become so clogged up it could be well into next year before the worst-hit industries see business remotely as usual – even assuming that a new turn in the pandemic doesn’t create fresh havoc. Read more here. 

GROUND AND RAIL UPDATES

Union members mull strike at Canadian Pacific

freightwaves.com
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) plans to poll 3,000 members at Canadian Pacific on whether members should go on strike. The results of the poll will be tabulated by the end of February.
TCRC said the main issues that the union wants addressed relate to wages, benefits and pensions. Members include locomotive engineers, conductors, trainpersons and yardpersons.  Read more here.