CharterSync a digital platform targeting the go-now charter market digitally matches cargo loads to the most suitable aircraft in real time, with its developers claim the portal will speed up the charter flight booking process.
It works by forwarders input their charter requests and then various algorithms will deduce which aircrafts are available to complete the flight, based on dimensions and payload, as well as information such as the size of the aircraft hold door and whether cargo can be stacked.
CharterSync is the brainchild of Ed Gillett and Simon Watson, who met when training as pilots, and has been in the making for more than two years.
“I explained to Simon that on a day-to-day basis we would call as many airlines as possible in the morning, create an Excel spreadsheet of where the aircraft are and then wait for a request to come in,” Gillett tells Air Cargo News.
“However, by the time the request came in, that data was historic because the aircraft would already be flying.
“In a time-critical environment, where every minute counts and you get a request from a leading freight forwarding company that wants an option quickly – within 10 minutes – it is physically not possible to pick up the phone and speak to all the airlines to try and find a suitable option for the request.”
The platform handles a variety of cargo types, from a standard pallet, crate, skid or carry-on-box to dangerous goods and bespoke containers.
Covering a global industry is another challenge, so CharterSync will start out catering solely for the European market.
“We work intra-European at the moment, which works really well with our model,” says Watson.
“There are less permits and licences required, which helps the go-now sector.” Gillett adds.
“We are sure that the flying know-ledge we have as pilots has helped us create the overall algorithms; knowing the flight trajectory of the aircraft, the performance of the aircraft, cruise speed – we take all of these things into account.
“It is great to have experience as a broker but having that pilot experience has helped us to form that total visibility throughout the supply chain.
“I wouldn’t have been able to pull this off as a charter broker alone. I wouldn’t have had that knowledge around the complexity of the flying, with the mass and balance.”
CharterSync also offers a mobile app which they claims will make the process of booking a charter flight quicker and stress free for customers.
Charter requests, meanwhile, are delivered to operators as text or WhatsApp messages, email or “however they want to work”, says Watson.
“All of our operations team are on call 24/7 to help out with any issues that users may have.
“We want customers to have the full airline operations experience, so we are almost acting as an extension to the airline itself.
“If they have any queries about slots or flight plans, delays, or the freight forwarder has any questions, we will try to act in a supporting role.”
Gillett adds: “It is very important to get the correct level of automation. You can use technology and leverage that for speed, but ultimately there are so many variables with an aircraft charter and that is why we need to be there to add that human input as well.”
