Confirmed in a press release today, the new product for standard air cargo shipments is to be offered online exclusively, enabling customers to book their own cargo directly – and for much lower cost. The “attractive prices” that Lufthansa promises are made possible by simpler background processes, including the online-only booking format and a longer delivery time.
The carrier has marketed the new basic product as suitable for consignments where the customer is happy to accept an average transit time of three days more than with the td.Pro standard product, which will continue to be offered.
“We are now adding a price offensive to our long-standing quality offensive. Our customers will be able to benefit from Lufthansa quality with particularly price-sensitive cargo as well from September,” commented Alexis von Hoensbroech, Board Member Product and Sales at Lufthansa Cargo. “With this innovative basic offering, we are enhancing our product range and charting a path for growth in the standard cargo segment.”
Von Hoensbroech went on to say that the new td.Basic online product will complement the td.Pro standard offering and td.Flash express offering at Lufthansa’s cargo arm, giving customers even “greater influence over the speed and price of our transport services.”
The td.Basic product comes as part of the company’s new CARGO eVOLUTION strategy, the name given to its four-pillar initiative to be the top choice for airfreight customers. Through this approach, Lufthansa Cargo hopes to advance digitisation, explore new customer segments and new partnerships in its effort to be number one in the world for air cargo services.
Available from September onwards, the new td.Basic product will be bookable via all of Lufthansa Cargo’s online channels and, according to the airline, will serve to underscore that Lufthansa Cargo remains a “forerunner in the area of innovative products."
At a time when speed is everything in the air cargo arena, Lufthansa's new offering somewhat challenges the status quo for innovation. Has cost become the new priority? Is this the way the air cargo market destined to go - lower prices and slower delivery?
