BA launches three-tier product

Gareth Kirkwood . . . 'We have committed ourselves to reliability, recovery and communication throughout the process' 'Cargo Made Simple' is the new slogan Leonard Neill LONDON Ð British Airways World Cargo last week launched its new global product range, signalling the carrier's re-entry into the 'loose' segment of the market. Managing director Gareth Kirkwood told a gathering of journalists from all parts of the world that the project aimed to improve the airline's perceived status in the market place. "British Airways has been a byword for poor quality in recent years, and that is the perception we are determined to change. At the same time we realise we have lost valuable ground during the past five years in ignoring the loose segment and that is what we are out to recapture. "We have carefully timed the introduction of our new products, recognising the importance of first delivering a strong loose proposition." 'Loose' is the term BAWC uses to describe cargo which is not in full containerised shipments. It undertakes the packaging of this cargo at its hubs along with unitised cargo under the brand 'PERFORM'. The 'EXPRESS' product is a fast priority service while 'SPECIALIST' handles the range of niche products requiring high priority. "It took us two years and talks with hundreds of customers around the world to design these products," said Kirkwood. "We went mainly to the forwarding agents, who supply us with 85-90% of our load bookings, and whom we regard as the right people to provide the information. Some of our competitors prefer to work directly with the shippers but we are satisfied that is not the route to go." There are no weight or volume limits attached to the Perform Loose/Unitised category. Freight and document cut-off time for loose is six hours and for unitised four hours. Availability times are the same. Maximum weight for express items is 32kg per piece, with availability for collection set at 90 minutes. There is no volume or weight limitation for Specialist items and strict security is provided. Cut-off time is three hours prior to departure and availability two hours after arrival. In addition a special new courier service has been introduced with a weight limit of 32kg per item and a cut-off and availability time of one hour. "If there is any problem along the way, customers will be advised within two hours. Our entire objective is to make everything as simple and straightforward as possible. Cargo Made Simple is our new slogan and we will ensure this happens throughout the 80 countries of the world we serve."