Abstract
In the days when air transportation couldn't really be called an industry, air freight took a poor third place to passenger and mail operations. As a rule, only the residual space on passenger aircraft was made available for freight, effectively contributing to its poor showing. The situation improved very slowly, and prior to World War II, air transport still handled very little freight. The main reason was that shippers considered it too costly, except for a specified promotional campaign or except in the case of extreme emergencies. | However, the experience gained during the war years dramatically proved the effectiveness of air freight transportation and, as a result, 1944 witnessed the introduction of air freight service within the United States. Two years later, in 1946, through the efforts of the International Air Transport Association, international air freight routes were established. Today, air freight is a major product of the airlines, representing a significant percentage of their total revenue. And in the next decade, air freight will account for an ever-growing percentage of total airline revenue.