Some time ago, the Cargo 2000 initiative was established, to promote greater operational efficiency
within the airfreight industry. The main objective was to streamline air cargo processing, thus making
airlines and freight forwarders more able to compete with the integrators. One key area that Cargo
2000 focused on was data exchange between airlines and shippers/agents. The facility allows shippers
and agents to submit Air Waybills to airlines using the CargoIMP "FWB" EDI message, despatched via
e-Mail. Some airlines have introduced fast and slow-lane processing, depending upon whether the Air
Waybill has been submitted electronically or by paper.
FCL was the first UK software house to provide an integrated Airline EDI capability within its
product. This fast response to a new industry requirement was made possible by FCL's long involvement
with e-Commerce - the software infrastructure required for the development was already in place.
The option to exchange data is switched on within ForwardOffice on an airline-by-airline basis. When a
Master Air Waybill is printed, and the airline requires data exchange, a message is automatically
generated and despatched without operator intervention.
As a pay-back, airlines return Status Update messages to the agent. The Airline EDI module has been
designed in such a way as to give our customers more or less complete control over what effect each
type of status message will have on the shipment to which it relates. Whenever a status message is
received, it can be used to optionally update the Job's Diary, log a non-conformance code, send a
notification message to a user, update a "Milestone", or even perform a Post-Flight or POD update.
The exciting thing about Airline EDI is that it fits in so well with FCL's long-term strategy for the
development of ForwardOffice. In particular, it complements FCL's Consignment Tracking and Event
Management module and e-Commerce offerings. Status update messages automatically update 'Milestones'
against shipment records and optionally trigger user-defined Events, such as auto-notifications or
EDI Status Updates, to customers. Furthermore, with WebTrack and ForwardVision, this information
automatically becomes visible to any of the parties involved with a given shipment or order, anywhere
in the world.
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 Key Features:
• Fully accredited by Syntegra, the portal provider
• Low cost transmission - Syntegra operate a “sender pays” tariff of 10p per message
• Activated selectively for participating airlines
• “FWB” Air Waybill messages generated automatically at time of MAWB print, without user intervention
• “FHL” Consolidation List messages optionally generated for AMS requirements
• Airlines return a variety of Status Update messages to you, but they bear the cost
• You configure the effect that each type of status message will have on the shipment to which it relates:
• Optionally update the consignment’s “Diary/Memo” with appropriate narrative
• Log a non-conformance code against the consignment, optionally integrating with the Quality Control module
• Update a consignment “Milestone” date
• Send a notification message to the relevant user (e.g. Post-Flight)
• Perform a full “Post-Flight” update
• Even perform a POD update
• Optional integration with Consignment Tracking and Event Management:
• When specific “Milestones” are completed, various “Events” can be optionally triggered for different parties
• Generates pre-defined or user-defined output via print, Fax or e-Mail
• Includes the output of EDI Consignment Booking or Status update messages
• In this scenario, ForwardOffice can act as a “message switch”
• Optional integration with WebTrack - information automatically becomes visible on the Web for any of the involved parties to view, anywhere in the world
• Optional integration with ForwardVision Order management module
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