Lufthansa Cargo already set a course for the digitisation of the logistics industry when it introduced the digital air waybill in 2013. As if to reinforce this point, from April 2, the airline will introduce a fee that will pass on the additional costs caused by the processing of paper-based air waybills. The “Paper AWB Fee” will be charged for each non eAWB shipment. During an introductory phase (up to October 2018) it will only levy a reduced fee of €1, but from October 1 onwards, the fee will increase to €12. Does this initiative see Lufthansa going out on a limb?
“Many of our customers and partners are already happy to use eAWBs. They simplify document handling, reduce the number of errors during data transfer and allow us to design more effective processes. We want to further support this trend. By gradually introducing a Paper AWB Fee, we also want to give our customers time to familiarise themselves with electronic AWBs,” explained Alexis von Hoensbroech, Chief Commercial Officer at Lufthansa Cargo.
Lufthansa declares also that this process gives customers a time saving of up to 50% in document handling, which means significantly reduced costs. The cargo carrier can also provide assistance with the switch to digital AWBs, to ensure a smooth implementation.
