GSA Force joined forces with several companies to jumpstart cargo operations for JetBlue. Together the companies have formed a consortium called FlyKargo, that will offer a complete cargo solution for the carrier.

GSA Force, along with its FlyKargo partner organizations, Aeronex, SmartKargo, and Air General provides extensive experience in aviation, cargo sales, operations, supply chain management, and information technology.

JetBlue ran cargo operations internally until 2015, when it decided to forgo cargo services in favor of improving and increasing the volume of passenger flights. The FlyKargo model leverages existing cargo space available on JetBlue flights, requiring only a minimum of additional resources from JetBlue.

GSA Force will provide the sales and marketing efforts, SmartKargo will provide the technology and operating environment necessary for all participants, Air General will provide the ground handling operations in FLL (GMD will provide handling operations in San Juan). Lastly, Aeronex will provide the management services for FlyKargo.

FlyKargo and JetBlue launched a three-month pilot program in October, facilitating air cargo movement between Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico. If successful, they hope to expand cargo operations into key cities in the domestic market, including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Miami.

“With over 1000 daily flights across high-valued geography throughout the Americas and Caribbean, JetBlue is perfectly positioned to benefit the rapidly growing e-commerce package delivery market by helping to deliver those packages in the shortest possible time” said Rob Martinelli, Director Customer Experience Effectiveness, JetBlue.

“We are excited about the prospects of growing revenue cargo and are taking a lead to innovate in this space with a partner that has demonstrated their ability to understand the industry’s current needs and quickly rollout a smart solution, while offering the expertise and connections to evolve with the market in the future,” Martinelli said.

“For us it has been a new experience, because we had more experience in the international market, and the domestic market is a different game,” said Claudio Silva, one of the partners of GSA Force. “But we have been able to explore this opportunity, and we already have identified the key players in domestic market,” he said.

Having recently spoken with sales agents in Puerto Rico, Silva reported those involved in the market are very enthusiastic about the idea of having JetBlue back in the cargo business.

“I think that this is the right moment,” he said.