Multinationals hike US rates

WHEN a swathe of major airlines publicly announced rate rises in late summer 2009, the reaction was one of derision from major forwarders. They said that raising rates in a recession was madness and that the process was doomed to fail from the start.Yet now, beginning in the US, integrators and major forwarders have publicly announced their own rate rises – for most something that has not happened since the middle of the last decade.DB Schenker has now joined FedEx and UPS in officially announcing rate increases in the US market. For the first time in its history the company has used public channels to notify customers that rates in its intro-North American network will go up effective from 1 March.Rate changes are going to vary by product and range. Prices for the company’s first arrival and one-day saver products remain unchanged, while ground services go up by four per cent on average and air services six per cent.It is Schenker’s first rate increase in the US since 2005, a company spokesperson confirmed.For the full story read the latest issue of Air Cargo News, dated 29 January. To subscribe, click on ‘Subscribe’ above.

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