FAIR@Link´s door management system accelerates handling processes at LUG air cargo handling In April 2018, LUG aircargo handling GmbH implemented the door management system (RSS). Its use has been mandatory since mid-May. The RSS is a module of FAIR@Link, the Air Cargo Community System at Frankfurt Airport, and offers a significant improvement through faster and easier-to-plan handling processes for LUG and all other delivering and collecting forwarders and transporters.

To book a door, the freight forwarder sends a Transport Pre Announcement (TPA) containing all necessary information to RSS. There, the data is automatically checked according to door and availability criteria specified by LUG. A door is automatically assigned for a certain time slot and the forwarder is informed directly. The RSS can be operated via a free web solution. In addition, DAKOSY offers a fee-based version with additional functions which make slot booking even more convenient and adds additional transparency to the processes, for example through real-time status updates during the clearance process.

With over 500 companies, almost all potential users are now connected. For unannounced loading and unloading, slots can be booked at the so-called LUG solution terminal. For Patrik Tschirch, Managing Director of LUG, the RSS is a great success: "We receive electronic pre-announcements for over 75% of the handling, the rest we record and transmit electronically after getting the information from the drivers. Trucks also usually arrive punctually at the doors and can be cleared within the planned slot. These positive experiences have already enabled us to shorten slot times, which means that we can offer our customers more capacity and at the same time cope with peak situations more efficiently.”

Forwarders also give the RSS positive ratings. For René Kurowsky, branch manager of Fischer Road Cargo GmbH, the planning of loading and unloading processes has improved significantly: "As a rule, we book the slots half a day in advance, and the data-entry process is fast and convenient. We receive our requested slot for over 75% of the transactions. We would like to have a higher quota here. It’s important for us that as many handling agents as possible use RSS – not just LUG. We could then organize so-called chain bookings for the truck tours and thus significantly improve our processes as a whole."

The handling agent FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services GmbH is currently planning in this direction. In early 2018, FCS introduced compulsory use of RSS at the same time as LUG, but due to operational reasons has been unable to use it for the past several months, and now plans a re-launch for February 2019. Advance notifications can also be forwarded to Lufthansa Cargo via FAIR@Link.