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On time, on site: speeding up customs declarations for air cargo
Just as passenger lists of international flights must be submitted to immigration authorities in the United States prior to landing, cargo shipments must be prealerted to customs authorities in the United States - and in Canada as well.
The regulations of the Canadian customs agency stipulate that customs must be notified of the content of loaded freight four hours after an aircraft’s "wheels up" time. Just recently, the CusLink Canada (CanCus) system of Lufthansa Systems went into operation. It meets the requirements of the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA) for electronic customs declarations for air cargo shipments. Lufthansa Cargo and Swiss World Cargo are the first CanCus customers.
With CanCus, Lufthansa Systems offers a cost-efficient solution that is certified by the Canadian Border Service Agency and can be used by any carrier. CanCus is the younger sibling of the proven CusLink application, which is used by around 20 air cargo carriers for their US customs declarations, e.g. Aer Lingus, Air China, Air Luxor Cargo, Air New Zealand, Aloha Airlines, DHL Aero Express, Kuwait Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Polynesian Airlines, Qantas Airways, and South African Airways.
CusLink enables carriers to file and amend air waybills, communicate flight departures and store and view shipment details electronically. The efficiency and high data quality derived helps facilitate faster clearance. Additionally, airlines can access cargo shipment status notifications at the "wheels up" stage, concurrent now with U.S. and Canadian Customs notification of a flight’s departure from the last foreign port. This, in turn, helps carriers expedite shipment pick-ups and deliveries as well as intercept potential aircraft holds before they pose a clearance problem.
The goal behind the development of CanCus was to implement the requirements of the CBSA while accelerating the air cargo handling process. Paper-based declarations, some of which were very complex, have now been replaced by electronic customs declarations. And the improved level of information is increasing citizen security.
Getting the maximum out of our products
In order to help its customers benefit even more from Lufthansa Systems solutions, the IT-provider has developed two special training concepts. For one, new and existing customers are able to simplify and optimize the complex process of flight planning by using Lido OC. The second concept focuses on the various ways of boosting revenues offered by its revenue management solution.
Lufthansa Systems offers airlines introductory training courses for the Lido OC flight planning software either in Kelsterbach or in the customer’s own offices. The courses are tailored to the individual requirements of each airline, making it relatively easy for employees to begin working with the new system. In May 2006 Singapore Airlines, Alitalia, Martin Air and Qatar Airways - all of them Lufthansa Systems customers - met for an annual training course.
Other events, such as the annual training, also take place regularly. At these events, new employees can familiarize themselves with our systems, and established employees can refresh their existing knowledge. The range of training offers is rounded out by courses on special topics, including courses for dispatchers on calculating flight plans with Lido OC, and courses for back-office employees on maintaining the customer data which is necessary for flight planning.
In cooperation with the Airline Revenue Management Training Group Lufthansa Systems’ has designed a new user training methods for its ProfitLine revenue management solution. Choosing the right revenue management solution is a key factor of success, but a systematic analysis and the fine tuning of all related business processes within the airline is of equal importance, especially for newcomers to the field. In order to enable its clients to make the best possible use of their ProfitLine revenue management solution, Lufthansa Systems has decided to combine efficient system training with business process consulting.
Lufthansa Systems' training methods focus on understanding how triggers, actions, and specific market constellations influence demand and how to react properly with a good revenue management strategy. System functionalities are taught on the basis of typical business cases taken from the daily life of a controller, giving at the same time best practice examples for future reference. Incorporation of tactics and methods for performance measurement ensure long term success. The flexible modular approach allows tailoring the training to the individual needs of each airline.
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