FROM JANUARY next year Lufthansa will scrap its charge for non-electronic transactions. The “e for free” charge of five euros per air waybill was introduced to encourage customer use of electronic channels. It has been levied for a year on all td.Flash shipments and since April on all td.Pro shipments from Germany that are booked conventionally by phone, fax or email instead of online through electronic channels. The lifting of the fee was prompted by growing customer acceptance of electronic booking options, according to a Lufthansa spokesman. “Use of electronic channels generates substantial benefits in the form of process optimisation and cost savings for customers and cargo carrier alike.” In Germany, electronic shipment bookings accounted for about 40% of the total in September 2003. That percentage was a mere 14% prior to the introduction of the e for free charge in October 2003.
