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In this episode of the Next Level Up podcast, host John talks to Chris Cond0n, founder of Aircon, a startup building what he calls a “decision layer” for air cargo freight forwarding. Chris shares his journey from being a forklift driver at Tower Group International to executive roles in freight forwarding, where he learned the importance of understanding customer value, P&Ls, and the real reason customers ask for things, such as losing 90% of revenue from a single account in El Paso. He also shares insights from running his own freight forwarding company and previous partnerships, including that leadership means making decisions quickly, co-founders need to be fully aligned, and teams need to really know and be able to repeat shared goals...not just nod along.
The conversation then shifts to Aircon’s mission: to shape the future of agentic AI for air freight by delivering intelligent systems that unlock new performance standards and elevate human capability. “Cost has been the only metric that matters for the industry, but service, risk, and on-time performance are what really differentiate carriers, so I believe AI should augment rather than replace people, freeing operators to build real customer relationships and focus on higher-value work,” argues Chris. Going forward, he sees the freight forwarding industry becoming more boutique and service-oriented with a closer alignment between airlines, truckers, forwarders, and buyers around real commitments rather than speculative pricing.
Founder and CEO of Aircon
Chris Condon is an air freight specialist with more than 30 years of hands-on experience in global logistics and carrier operations. He has helped shippers navigate everything from capacity crunches to cross-border compliance, and he brings that real-world perspective to every post he writes.
