The Office of Cargo Agency Commissioner was set up in 1992.  At the time there were 5.700 or so IATA registered Cargo Agents outside the USA and 18 active CASS operations which processed just under USD 5 billion in airfreight sales that year.  The IATA Cargo Agency Conference determined that among the checks and balances necessary, in support of the fiduciary discipline essential to the success of the IATA sales intermediary accreditation system and, particularly of CASS, there should be a neutral, accessible and cost-effective machinery to adjudicate expeditiously on the inevitable aberrations exposed during the operation of such a large-scale enterprise.

The Office has now served the industry continuously for almost thirty years during which time it has dealt with over a thousand reviews.  Its work has expanded with the growth and evolving sophistication of the airfreight sector.  Today, it serves 16,800 IATA registered Cargo Intermediaries who, in 2020, reported and remitted USD 32.7 billion through CASS.  CASS operations now embrace the globe, with the exception of the USA where the CNS Corporation, an IATA subsidiary, manages a separate and parallel system.  The on-time settlement rate through CASS in 2020 was 99.996%.

Geographical Scope of the Office

In most countries the office holder is called the Cargo Agency Commissioner; however, in EU/ECAA member countries and in Latin American and the Caribbean countries where tailored IATA/FIATA Air Cargo Programmes are in place, the title used for the office holder is Ombudsman.  The task, however, is essentially the same.

The Cargo Agency Commissioners’ Office is an​ independent worldwide service of dispute resolution provided to Cargo Agents, Freight Forwarders, CASS Associates, Airlines and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Offered in cooperation between the cargo industry, through the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations(FIATA), through IATA.

Our activity is funded equally by IATA Accredited Agents, Freight Forwarders, CASS Associates and IATA Member Airlines