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As the premier trade association for the forwarder and logistics industry, AfA members range from small businesses employing fewer than 20 people to large companies with well over 1,000 employees.

By being a member we protect your business, we offer your company the opportunity to network with industry colleagues at employees and dedicated contractors. As a member of you will increase your knowledge of industry standards, practices and ongoing developments.

Air Cargo Industry News

TSA Requests AfA Comments on Private Canine Program by August 27th
TSA recently issued a draft amendment for the 3PK9 program and would appreciate our association's feedback by Monday, August 27th. Since the draft contains Sensitive Security Information, it is password protected and must be requested individually by members covered under existing TSA cargo security programs. Please understand that TSA advises that the draft is still under internal discussion and is subject to change. The document is a sample only and will be used for all security programs once finalized. If you are a TSA regulated entity and would like to see and provide your feedback to the draft document, please let us know today by responding to bfried@airforwarders.org and we will look forward to including your comments in our submission to TSA next week.
Forwarders face problems accessing critical TSA platforms for air cargo security
Sniffer dogs are straining at the leash to reinforce air cargo security in the US. On the other hand, the dearth of funding for the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) is about to make life more difficult for forwarders, as the agency’s interface will no longer support a range of web browsers for access. Come August 15, some cargo agents will no longer be able to access TSA platforms, including the Indirect Air Carrier Management System (IACMS) and the Known Shipper Management System (KSMS). According to the US Airforwarders’ Association, the two platforms are the primary interfaces to transact annual certification validations, authorised representative listings, known shipper validations, security threat assessments and the viewing of alerts containing ‘Sensitive Security Information’. “Any average forwarder will use the systems many times each week for these purposes; an experience that under the best of circumstances can be a challenge,”said Brandon Fried, the association’s executive director. Under orders from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where it is housed, the TSA is limiting access to its web platforms to users that employ Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 browsers as of August 15. Companies that use other web browsers, like Chrome, Safari or Firefox, will have problems using the IACMS and KSMS platforms. The TSA justified the decision with financial constraints. It said ongoing support for other browsers would substantially increase costs. As Microsoft products are widely used in departments of the DHS, Internet Explorer 11 was chosen as the browser of choice. The agency has assured the Airforwarders’ Association that it will support Internet Explorer 11 for at least the next five years. Already, ahead of the official cutoff date, AfA members that use Safari or Chrome have reported issues with the IACMS and KSMS platforms. The browsers work for general access to view alerts, but processing security threat assessments and other transactions has been more challenging. “This issue is a result of insufficient investment in DHS technology platforms required to meet modern-day realities,” said Mr Fried. Insufficient funding for the TSA has been a long-standing bugbear for the air cargo industry. A report produced by the Office of the Inspector General in 2009 drew attention to technical problems with the TSA’s KSMS platform. Despite subsequent efforts to improve both the KSMS and IACMS, both systems still suffer technical issues causing delays in the known shipper vetting process and hampering access to belly capacity on passenger flights for forwarders. Response times and turnarounds are too slow to meet the requirements of today’s expedited supply chains, the AfA claims. The TSA is displaying better momentum in the push to allow privately operated canine inspection of air cargo to beef up security. “They told us ‘noses on boxes by December 31’. It looks like they are on target with that expectation,” Mr Fried reported. Forwarders, airlines and handlers have lobbied hard for the admission of private canine screening to add a much needed further layer to security. The rise in air cargo volumes over the past two years has added urgency to their clamour. By Ian Putzger 06/08/2018
AfA & NCBFAA submit comments to CBP on ACAS interim final rule
The Airforwarders Association and the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) jointly submitted comments in response to the mid-June publishing by CBP of the Interim Final Rule governing the Air Cargo Advanced Screening (ACAS) program. AfA and NCBFAA solicited comments from our respective memberships and collaborated on our response which touched on both the positives which we support and the negatives which we cautioned would negatively impact our members. For the full release and a link to the comments, check out the full release on PR Log here.
How Southwest makes low-cost air freight work
Mike Hess, vice president, strategic planning with logistics firm Associated Global Systems (AGS), a long-time customer of Southwest, spoke highly of the carrier’s service, pricing and incentives. But he said the main reason Southwest remains a top-drawer carrier is its people. Southwest uses “LUV” as its IATA code, from the days when it was based at Love Field in Dallas, but Hess said it’s more than just marketing. “It’s amazing how well they operate and how well they work with customers,” he said. “Each employee is empowered to give the best service every day.” Read more in Air Cargo World...

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Are you a member of the Airforwarders Association?

Take advantage of our new member promotion!

First-time Members Pay Only $199 for the Remainder of 2018

Our Voice is Global!

Air Cargo Industry News

TSA Requests AfA Comments on Private Canine Program by August 27th

Forwarders face problems accessing critical TSA platforms for air cargo security

AfA & NCBFAA submit comments to CBP on ACAS interim final rule

How Southwest makes low-cost air freight work

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