American Airlines Cargo has joined the Germany-based e-booking platform cargo.one becoming the first US carrier to do so. 

In a statement, American Airlines said the platform will now be offering the airline’s cargo capacity starting in Europe, with global expansion following.

It said freight forwarders will also be able to access American's cargo capacity in real-time and book with instant confirmation.

"We continually look for ways to enhance our digital capabilities and offer more solutions to our customers, always aiming to exceed their expectations. This partnership with cargo.one is a strategic way for us to make our cargo capacity more accessible within the industry," said Jessica Tyler, President Cargo, and Vice President Operations Innovation and Delivery.

American Airlines cited the rapidly increasing number of freight forwarding customers using cargo.one's platform for choosing to forge a strategic tie-up with the platform and said cargo.one's extensive data insights will also enable the airline to regularly fine-tune its capacity offer accordingly.

"I'm a strong believer that the cargo industry must continue to innovate to enable us to engage with our customers in a more personal, and definitely a far more efficient way. Flexibility and speed are more important than ever, and the industry needs to continue to find ways to quickly adapt. With cargo.one’s customer-centric approach, American Airlines Cargo is in an even better position to match those requirements," Tyler added.

Increase in digital booking cited

American Airlines Cargo noted that it has seen its customer base expand and demand for digital booking increase.

It added that the "ever-changing" flight schedules resulting from the pandemic have driven the need for reliable, real-time capacity information and a clear overview of routes and services available and cargo.one "not only meets these customer requirements - as proven by its 700% growth rate in 2020" - but it also provides a seamless booking experience to customers.

American Airlines Cargo is cargo.one's first U.S.-based airline partner. 

European freight forwarders will be able to book capacity to several US destinations beginning this summer, according to a press release issued by the companies.