HangarA wants to change the air cargo industry the same way Uber has upended the taxi business. With its Expedia-like Price Explorer, the Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.-based company may be on its way to doing just that.
Released in August 2016, the Price Explorer allows a shipper to compare rates, schedules, and connections between all major commercial airline cargo providers.
“Instead of having to rate, shop and call every airline, you can now do a search and, within 45 seconds, find out the best rate,” HangarA Project Manager Trevor Woodland told SeafoodSource at Seafood Expo North America. “You’re able to see all the options stacked up next to one another, which will allow you to get your seafood to its destination cheaper and faster.”
HangarA also offers an “Air Waybill Generator,” which allows a shipper to create an IATA-approved air waybill after selecting a shipping option. Additionally, HangarA’s API Tools allow companies to integrate their shipping selections made through HangarA into their Transportation Management Systems. And customers can input contractual rates they have with airlines into the HangarA Price Explorer to compare all of their contractual and non-contractual rates on a per-airline basis. In addition, HangarA is built on a foundation that merges with airlines’ electronic booking systems as their technology advances.
Despite the potentially disruptive role that HangarA is playing in the industry, Woodland said commercial airlines can also benefit from HangarA.
“They’ve been behind in regards to online booking – painfully slow in uptake,” he said. “We want to work with them. Dynamic pricing can be so beneficial for them – they can see where and when there’s demand, and execute efficiencies to make sure they’ve got their planes full.”
HangarA is doing nothing less than technologically revolutionizing air cargo shipping, Woodland said.
“We are the only one doing this,” Woodland said. “Since our launch, we’ve had tremendous feedback from people using the system. I think we’re living up to our billing.”
