News / Forwarders trying to put airlines on the spot and lock in lift before rates rise

© Tratong

Forwarders are finding themselves between a rock and a hard place: as demand continues to outstrip capacity growth, they are moving to secure lift in anticipation of tighter supply and rising air freight rates down the road – but neither airlines nor shippers are in a supportive mood.

As long as overcapacity kept yields down and forced airlines to market empty space at bargain prices, forwarders increasingly shifted their capacity procurement to the spot market. In this they were egged on by shippers, ...