OAG Cargo has upgraded its airfreight rates application, known as AFRA. The new product is a completely rewritten version of the cargo rates management tool, which OAG Group launched in 2003. Since then, it has become a key rate and surcharge distribution mechanism for 920 airlines and 300 cargo GSAs. Together they publish more than 5 million rates for AFRA's 12,600 individual users globally, at more than 900 freight forwarding companies, according to OAG Cargo. New features of the AFRA update include "e-acceptance," which allows airlines and forwarders to record online rate agreements. In addition, spot-price capturing enables the recording of rates that have been agreed to by telephone and e-mail. Additional features include currency conversions of rates, zone-specific rates, and multiple PDF and Excel templates for mass distribution of rates by e-mail. The newly launched system includes an allowance for surcharges, especially for fuel. It offers a number of other options for customizing information for specific contracts and relationships. Airlines can control which customers see their tariffs, spot prices and surcharges, with multiple levels of security protecting the data. The tool provides direct links from the rates results page to airlines' own booking sites or preferred booking portals.

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