Qatar Airways Cargo has become the first air cargo carrier to offer online bookings with instant confirmations for interline partners.

This new feature is available through its innovative Digital Lounge portal and is part of the airline's efforts to enhance and digitalize the booking experience.

"Interline partners can now manage online bookings seamlessly, eliminating the need to contact local station staff and significantly reducing the manual exchange of booking emails," Qatar Airways Cargo said.

It added that this enhancement not only streamlines the booking process but also enhances operational efficiency, providing real-time access to booking information and updates.

The Interline booking feature is currently being used by American Airlines Cargo and Latam Cargo to manage all their bookings on Qatar Airways Cargo flights.

The air cargo carrier aims to extend Digital Lounge to all its interline partners in the coming months. 

Digitalisation is a cornerstone of our strategy, and we are proud to continue setting new standards in the cargo industry. As the first air cargo carrier to offer online bookings with instant confirmations to our interline partners, we are committed to innovation and improving the booking experience for both, our partners and customers," said Mark Drusch, chief officer cargo at Qatar Airways Cargo.

"Our teams actively gather customer feedback to enhance the user experience on the Digital Lounge portal, and we have made significant progress since its launch in 2022," he added.

Faisal Karamat, vice president of Cargo Customer Experience at Qatar Airways Cargo, noted that since the launch of Digital Lounge, the carrier has welcomed over 6,800 registered customers and 15,000 users to the portal, achieving nearly 500,000 online bookings.

"The portal’s intuitive design and user-friendly layout have received high praise, underscoring its success in meeting customer needs and driving digitalisation in the cargo industry."

"We are continually exploring ways to enhance our Digital Lounge, and the introduction of the new Interline feature is a testament to our commitment to adding valuable functionalities," Karamat added.

The Digital Lounge interface and a host of features like tracking and tracing, uploading of multiple dimensions per shipment, notifications configuration per air waybill, BUP bookings with ULD details, allotment bookings, and a personalised experience for consolidators.

Qatar Airways Cargo said the Digital Lounge portal offers a "unique and efficient" booking experience. Customers can complete their bookings in just 2-3 minutes, supported by a 24/7 centralised in-house technical support team.

Meanwhile, Qatar Airways Cargo recently introduced a new industry feature, 'My Allotments,' on the portal, which provides real-time visibility, prevents overbooking, and optimises shipment planning.