There is evidence that airlines who have tried, on an individual basis, to introduce demurrage fees for third-party, off-airport stakeholders have found this to be difficult to achieve. Based on ULD CARE’s research into this issue, the most commonly cited concern among airline representatives was the fear of creating an uncompetitive position in a highly-competitive industry. The challenge of setting up the necessary infrastructure to operate such a system within a single airline was also cited as problematic.
This almost universal failure of airlines to collect demurrage for late return of ULD equipment from non-airline stakeholders is an industry-wide issue that requires an industry-wide solution.