Aerolíneas Argentinas: deliveries on the same day and in your cell phone

Aerolineas Argentinas is getting into the freight and logistics business, both internationally and for the domestic market.

In the first case, it has launched its own door-to-door service so that users can "microimport" from technology to clothing, using the hold capacity they have, thanks to their two daily flights for the Buenos Aires-Miami route .

So far, they already have more than 11,100 people registered and aspire to considerably expand the number from this service that simplifies customs procedures and allows you to receive a package at home from the United States in less than 72 hours.

To solve the so-called "last mile" they use all the operational structure that the airline has available with JetPaq. And it is precisely from this same business unit that they are plotting a new service, this time designed exclusively for the domestic market: a "door to door domestic".

The initiative is that a user, in any province, can, from the app, request the withdrawal of a parcel at his address and that that product arrives at the chosen destination, within the country, in a period that may be even less than 24 hours, with the possibility of having a total logistics traceability.

"The plan is to have it ready and operational before October," anticipates in a dialogue with iProUP Maximiliano Pozaric, cargo manager of Aerolineas Argentinas. Initially, the idea was to be able to launch this modality during the first semester. However, the project underwent substantial changes, aimed at offering a better user experience.

The main difference with respect to the plan that had been delineated in the beginning is that now the domestic "door to door" can be managed from a mobile app, while the initial idea contemplated that users perform the entire operation through the web .

"For a month we have been operating with a new system at international level and the objective is to work with that same platform to provide the service within the country," explains the manager.

"The app will allow 100% of the procedures: set day and time of the package withdrawal; validate on a map with geolocation where the exact pick-up point is located, to minimize errors; and also coordinate delivery of the parcel, "says Pozaric.

"It is through this new tool and the use of technology that we can make this service really massive," he emphasizes.

As for the rates, users can opt for different modalities: from a more basic option to a "full" type, which allows the final cost to adapt to different needs and budgets.

For example, in cases where the destination and the schedule allow, you can choose to ship on the same day or in 24 hours.

In addition, delivering or removing the package in some of the 32 logistics centers of JetPaq will allow access to a cheaper rate compared to the "full" alternative. That is, the one that includes both pick-up and home delivery.

"It can be configured in different ways. It will be very flexible," he said from the airline.

As a reference, to today's values:

- Send a parcel of one kilo from Buenos Aires to some point of Salta, on the same day and with withdrawal and delivery door to door, it will have a value of $ 760

- Who chooses to ship that same package but delivering it to Aeroparque and having the recipient to look for it at Salta airport, must pay $ 540 for the same day and $ 460 within 24 hours

- In parallel, an office Buenos Aires-Mendoza, the door to door in the day will cost $ 720, a rate that drops to $ 425 for the most basic mode

In the case of a parcel of twice the weight, it will be necessary to add 18% - average - to those same values. This means that for every kilo that is added to the shipment the rate will not rise proportionally.

A business with high potential
The initiative is part of the strategic plan of the company, which has as one of its main focuses the development of the cargo business, a unit that currently shows a low share regarding the total turnover of the airline, less than 3 per hundred.

From Aerolineas Argentinas consider that "the potential to grow is very high. In the world, this type of service works very well and in the country we see that there is a really considerable market."

"Today we do not have direct competition. It is true that many ecommerce platforms already offer the possibility of dispatching to other provinces. But the truth is that nobody has the coverage capacity that we have, in the terms we handle and every day of the year, "they say to iProUP from the company.

In fact, it is weaving agreements with some of the main players in the sector to offer, along with the purchase of a product, the entire logistics and transport solution of JetPaq and Aerolineas Argentinas.

From this network is that the firm projects a turnover close to $ 360 million, at the current exchange rate, for the first year of service. As for the volumes, it considers that it is in a position to move about 15,000 tons per year.

All these perspectives, of course, are based on the exponential growth that electronic commerce has been experiencing in recent years.

According to CACE figures, the sale of goods and services through the online channel during 2018 expanded almost 50% in Argentina, reaching a turnover of over $ 230,000 million.

This is a variation rate similar to last year's inflation but, not less, this occurred in a context in which the economy in general contracted 2.5 percent. In addition, in terms of volume, 120 million products were sold last year, 25% more than in 2017, through some 79 million purchase orders.

In this context, from the flag line they ensure that this service promises to become a powerful tool that can be used by both large companies and small and medium-sized companies that today offer their products through online platforms.

In addition, they consider that it can generate new jobs, since one of the focuses will be entrepreneurs from all over the country who, due to geographical or cost reasons, today find it difficult to reach more consumers.

Investment plan
This initiative, as well as the "door to door" to import products from the United States, is part of a digitalization plan that faced Aerolineas Argentinas and that contemplates a global investment of 40 million dollars.

The first stage of this project started in the first half of last year, with the renovation of the company's data center and central computers.

Then, progress was made with the installation of 24 kilometers of fiber optic and Wi-Fi in the workshops, as well as the start-up of the AMOS management system, which allows total traceability over each piece and component changed throughout the fleet.

At the beginning of June, meanwhile, they presented the new website, with important improvements in terms of accessibility and user experience when buying tickets, checking in or adding services. And, in parallel, they are about to present an exclusive application for the management of air tickets.

"All these services are going to be part of the new digital ecosystem that we are implementing," they point out from the firm, which is increasingly committed to the logistics business based on applications, both when it comes to micro-importing and when it comes to Send a package to anywhere in the country.

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