For people wondering why we can't just convert spare passenger capacity to air cargo easily:
I do supply chain: everything is handled in pallets. If we filled all passneger space up with individual small boxes that's a lot of extra "touches/unit" which equals labor cost and quickly drives price of delivery up.
Instead of 1. load pallet at warehouse -> 2. transport to airport -> 3. plane flies pallet -> 4. unload pallet -> 5. move to warehouse -> 6. unpack/distribute, we have:
1. load pallet -> 2. transport to airport -> 3. unpack pallet -> 4. load into system that's compatible with passenger seat constraints -> 5. plane flies stuff -> 6. repack individual boxes into pallet, 7. move to warehouse -> 8. unpack/distribute
Right now pallets are the "unified language" of shipping; so once you break things down the units are super variable and not meant or resistant to non-pallet circumstances.
I do supply chain: everything is handled in pallets. If we filled all passneger space up with individual small boxes that's a lot of extra "touches/unit" which equals labor cost and quickly drives price of delivery up.
Instead of 1. load pallet at warehouse -> 2. transport to airport -> 3. plane flies pallet -> 4. unload pallet -> 5. move to warehouse -> 6. unpack/distribute, we have:
1. load pallet -> 2. transport to airport -> 3. unpack pallet -> 4. load into system that's compatible with passenger seat constraints -> 5. plane flies stuff -> 6. repack individual boxes into pallet, 7. move to warehouse -> 8. unpack/distribute
Right now pallets are the "unified language" of shipping; so once you break things down the units are super variable and not meant or resistant to non-pallet circumstances.