The air freight industry has been warned it must become more commoditised and responsive to the needs of consumers.

Delegates at the Nordic Air Cargo Symposium claimed operators should introduce a clearer pricing structure and faster quotations. Lloyd's Loading List reports logistics managers from companies such as Volvo and Ericsson still found it difficult to make comparisons between service providers. 

Among the issues highlighted in the conference was the apparent inability of freight companies to agree on the distance between two airports. Although the air cargo industry was praised on its efforts to go paperless, logistics firms called on operators to make their prices available to customers in the same way the passenger airline business had.

Robert Mellin, head of distribution logistics at Ericsson, stated its use of air freight could increase as a result of the growth of e-commerce, but only if it became easier to obtain accurate and quick quotes. He added pricing structures should become all-inclusive and called for service providers to decrease their use of surcharges.