WiseTech air cargo push challenges independent booking platforms
In a move that could be a blow to air cargo booking platforms, WiseTech Global expects more forwarders to book airfreight directly within CargoWise, as it expands its airline connections and opens the platform to general sales and service agents.
ATC Aviation Services, part of World Freight Company (WFC), has become the first GSSA to connect to CargoWise AirlineConnect, allowing users to search, compare, and book services from its represented airlines in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
The connection brings capacity, schedules, and dynamic pricing into the same system forwarders use to manage shipments, with booking confirmations, amendments, cancellations, and status updates feeding into their workflow.
Stuart Hayman, head of carrier integration and transformation at WiseTech Global, told The Loadstar the company expected more customers to book directly in CargoWise as its network expanded.
"When booking happens inside the execution workflow, data is captured once and carried through the full shipment lifecycle," he said. "That clearly benefits accuracy, speed, and cost, so yes, we expect more forwarders to take advantage of these efficiencies."
According to WiseTech, AirlineConnect now provides digital booking access to airlines accounting for 75% of the air waybills its customers execute, up 15 percentage points from a year ago.
The figure measures the connected airlines' share of customers' air waybills, rather than the proportion of shipments actually booked through AirlineConnect.
GSSA connections could broaden that reach by bringing several represented carriers onto the platform through a single integration.
"Many of the airlines that GSSAs represent don't run their own ebooking channels in every market," said Mr Hayman.
WFC markets capacity for more than 300 airlines across over 3,500 tradelanes, although the initial ATC connection covers only its airline portfolio in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. WiseTech expects coverage to expand through WFC's network over the coming months, and through other GSSA connections.
Access to AirlineConnect is included in the CargoWise Value Pack. WiseTech did not specify whether airlines or GSSAs pay connection or transaction fees.
However, Freightos founder and former CEO Zvi Schreiber argued that independent booking platforms retained advantages over a service tied to a particular transport management system.
"Freightos Platform has two things a TMS can't easily copy. It's neutral, so an airline connected to it reaches forwarders whatever system they run," he told The Loadstar. "And through Freightos's shipper marketplace, the Freightos platform connects end-to-end, carriers to forwarders to shippers."
Dr Schreiber, who is campaigning for Freightos to prioritise platform growth, said maintaining that network advantage required continued investment.
"When a well-funded incumbent moves into your market, that's the moment to accelerate, not to take a sabbatical from growth."
WiseTech's airfreight ambitions also extend beyond booking. Its July collaboration with Lufthansa Cargo and IBS Software enabled shipment records to be exchanged using IATA's ONE Record standard.
Mr Hayman said the projects addressed different parts of the same workflow: AirlineConnect enables forwarders to find and secure capacity; while ONE Record supports shipment data exchange throughout the shipment lifecycle.
"We will expand the bookable network through more direct airline and GSSA connections, deepen post-booking messaging and status visibility, and support standards such as ONE Record as airlines adopt them," he said.
For forwarders, connectivity can be an important factor in choosing their operating system.
New Hamburg-based forwarder Cherry's Logistics selected CargoWise after considering alternatives, with co-founder Marc-Henrik Schmitz identifying "the API connection possibilities" as one reason for its decision.
Co-founder Sandra Bufe said its scalability and potential to save time and manpower were also attractions. But Cherry's intends to build its own data and knowledge environment, connecting its TMS and other systems while preserving flexibility over suppliers.
"We want to stay flexible in making our own choices," said Mr Schmitz.
Mr Hayman acknowledged that forwarders would continue using multiple booking channels as the market moved away from manual processes.
"Our job is to make CargoWise the most complete and convenient option, which is why expanding the network through GSSAs like ATC is so important."
