Why does it feel like every time I sit down to write one of these letters one of two things is happening; either a holiday or a massive shift in the weather?
I have been fortunate enough to spend this week in Beijing, China, for work. It was a day late in happening as I spent eight hours at O'Hare waiting for my flight to depart last Sunday as the airline worked (how feverishly I'm still not sure) to get the plane airworthy. At 9 PM on Sunday night, after my fill of football and airport food, they cancelled the flight, only to find me back to try it again at 1:00 Monday afternoon.
That one, thankfully, went off without a hitch.
This month we were fortunate to have Brandon Fried of the Airforwarders Association join us for our monthly luncheon, and he did not disappoint. Brandon travels extensively for AfA, speaking to Associations such as ours, as well as appearing on panels with IATA, CNS, NCBFAA, TIACA and others. In fact, Brandon was in Seoul, Korea, at TIACA's event the week before ours. He also was delayed in transit on his Asian trip, not by a mechanical, but by a typhoon.
In November, we vote. We as a country and state vote for Congressional representatives and in Illinois we are voting for state leadership as well. Democracies are founded on the participation of their citizens, and this is my plea to you to get out and vote. Let your voice be heard, let your opinion be counted.
After voting in our state and federal elections on November 4th, don't miss the second major election of November, the one for the AIFBA board.
This will happen at our monthly luncheon (click here to register) on Tuesday, November 11th at the Holiday Inn. Remember, you are the ones who determine your leaders and can have a voice with them to set policy and the important agenda items to address during their tenure.
With declining oil prices, fuel costs are declining as well, and according to IATA's numbers, air freight volumes are ticking upwards, and Boeing has forecast a strong demand in the next twenty years for air cargo.
Combined, it appears that a healthy recovery is underway, and continued success lies ahead for our industry.