Descartes Systems Group, a global on-demand software-as-a-service (SaaS) logistics solutions provider, announced the global availability of Descartes CargoBooker, a basic air freight electronic booking service aimed at small- and medium-sized air freight forwarders. This service, part of the Descartes GF-X Exchange, enables forwarders to access air cargo carrier information to make electronic bookings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, via a simple web browser.

Descartes CargoBooker helps carriers and forwarders reduce costs, improve efficiency and have better access to real-time information across air cargo carriers. CargoBooker can provide efficiency gains through a single web-based point of access to air cargo carrier information, such as product, flight and truck detail, routing, capacity availability and rates, without having to call multiple carriers.

'Our focus is to bring together transportation carriers, logistics intermediaries and their customers of various sizes and complexities in shared-services environment using standardized business processes,' said Vincent Ryan, Vice President, Global Freight Exchange at Descartes. 'CargoBooker is designed to reach small- and medium-sized air freight forwarders to increase user adoption of electronic bookings in the air cargo industry.'

'Descartes CargoBooker is a time-saving, easy-to-use tool, which enables us to submit bookings to a large numbers of airlines,' said Sander Halkes, Export Supervisor, VCK Logistics. 'This easy-to-use, web-based solution helps automate our shipment management process.'

The Descartes GF-X Exchange and Descartes CargoBooker are part of the Descartes Global Logistics Network' (GLN), which enables the world's leading transportation providers to connect to their trading partners and reliably exchange information to drive delivery performance and high levels of customer satisfaction. Air cargo carriers and air freight forwarders electronically manage their air shipment lifecycle, including bookings; air waybills; house waybills; status messages; and customs filings, through the Descartes GLN. Descartes also has tools to help carriers and forwarders manage shipping rates from the initial booking all the way through to invoice presentation and airway bill creation. The Descartes GLN also helps customers comply with customs regulations and leading industry standards, such as the quality management structures of Cargo 2000 and e-freight.