Airlines benefit from US West Coast port congestion perishable windfall

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Port congestion on the US West Coast has led to a welcome reverse of the recent modal shift towards ocean freight for airlines operating across the Pacific.

Temperature-controlled shipments, including perishables and frozen food products, are taking up much of the available westbound capacity into Asia for both passenger airlines and all-cargo carriers. In recent weeks, this has included some unexpected cargo, explains Neel Shah, aviation consultant and chief commercial officer at Los Angeles-based forwarder Able Freight.

As has been widely reported, ...