Air freight quote is undoubtedly more expensive than sea freight. But what do you expect? You have that special request to have your shipment moved as quickly as possible and only air freight can do this for you.
How well do you understand your air freight quote?
Ideal items for air freight
If you think that choosing air freight is a hefty price to pay then you better think again, especially if you are planning to ship the following types of items:
Diplomatic mail/pouch/bag
These documents can be as light as a feather but the information they contain is usually sensitive and confidential. It is highly likely that these documents simply cannot sit inside an LCL or FCL cargo for several days or months. You will need to ensure it gets to the hands of the rightful person in a timely fashion.
This is a sample image of an air freight quote diplomatic pouch
Human organs, medical serums and the like
We bet this is self-explanatory. It isn’t hygienic to transport perishable items of these kinds inside a cargo ship. Just imagine the fast multiplication rate of the microorganisms feasting on these!
Oh the horror!
So it is always best to have these types of shipment delivered via air freight. Never mind the amount of air freight quote. Just make sure that someone’s spleen or bone marrow is shipped at the soonest time possible because the life of a person is priceless!
The image shows cargo items loaded into the plane’s cargo section
Medical supplies and pharmaceuticals
Medical supplies and pharmaceuticals have to meet specific delivery requirements to ensure they arrive at their destination in perfect condition. What better way to do that than by shipping via the best and fastest mode of service — air freight.
Pharmaceutical shipment via air freight quote
Valuables (money, gold bars, diamonds)
No one in his right mind would ever ship gold bars and diamonds via LCL or FCL cargo, unless they own the shipping line. Why? It’s just way too risky.
Technology may have made ships more safe and efficient, but it doesn’t give a 100% assurance it won’t sink. Sure! You can pay freight insurance for your cargo, but doesn’t the risk cost more?
Thus, it is always better to find a reasonable air freight quote that can transport these valuables faster and in a more efficient manner.
Would you risk moving these gold bars via sea freight?
Technical supplies
Items such as high tech equipment, oil and gas, aerospace, automotive, and ship parts require special attention during shipping. You wouldn’t want them to topple inside pallets together with other shipment, wouldn’t you?
High tech gadgets require special delivery options to ensure it remains in good condition
Choosing air freight lowers the risk of these items being damaged. Thus, it is important to weigh the difference between sea freight and air freight quotes before making a decision.
Understanding your air freight quotes to save time and money
If you’re already convinced that there is no better way to ship these types of items except via air freight, let us help you by giving some tools to better equip you in choosing the right freight forwarder.
Learn how to interpret an air freight quote to know the next questions you should ask your freight forwarder.
Typical contents of an air freight quote
Generally speaking, you’ll see the following information on your air freight quote:
- Terms of sale: delivery and payment terms agreed upon by the buyer and seller
- Pick-up and drop-off location: location information of air freight items
- Name of the supplier and shipper: Information about the customer
- Door-to-door vs door-to-airport quote: agreed upon type of delivery
- Transit time: alloted time for your items to arrive
- Dimensions and weight of the goods: measurement of the goods shipped
- Currency: type of currency in which the air freight quote is to be paid
- Airline: company flying the goods for you
However, there are certain details you should clarify with your freight forwarder prior to closing a deal with them. These include the following surcharges and fees:
Fuel surcharge
These are additional costs due to increasing fuel prices that are added to your air freight quote.
Do you want to learn more about fuel surcharge? Follow our LinkedIn company page to remain posted with our next blog topic.
Security surcharge
Security surcharge can vary from airport to airport. Clearly ask how much the security surcharge will be for your chosen airport to get a better picture of how much your air freight quote will cost.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) states that “security charges should not recover more than the costs involved in providing airport security.” These can include:
- Screening of passengers and baggage
- Security control of cargo and airport and airline personnel
- Monitoring of restricted areas
- Training
However, this doesn’t include general and national security services.
Air freight peak season surcharge (PSS)
Air freight peak season generally runs from September to December. This is added on top of your air freight quote as a means for many airfreight lane owners to cover their losses during the off-peak season.
Shipping items during air freight peak season is very tricky. At times, air freight costs can really escalate as airlines find it easier to fill their cargo load due to higher freight demand.
Air freight regulatory fee
You’ll be surprised to learn that amidst the additional security surcharge fees added to your air freight quote, some freight forwarders also include a regulatory fee. This cost is associated with enhanced security requirements and is charged on a per kilogram of billable weight per shipment.
Interestingly, this is subject to change without prior notice. Thus, ask a rough estimate on how much this might cost when dealing with your freight forwarder.
Air freight General Rate Increase
GRI (General Rates Increase) is the average amount by which carriers’ tariff rates increase are applied to base rates. In a stable market, GRI applies on contract sales once a year at the end of the year. However, we see several increases within the year for the last three years due to the instability of the freight forwarding sector.
Other fees included in your air freight quote
Other fees you may want to ask your freight forwarder are:
- Quarantine and isolation
- Cargo insurance
We shall be discussing more about these fees in the following months. Send us your questions or suggested topics by leaving a comment below or contacting us online. We will be more than happy to respond to it.
Contact us for help
We have a large air freight network worldwide and a full range of air freight services. We provide full-costing upfront with no hidden costs with all the help you need. If you are looking for fast, lean, transparent freight forwarding then contact us online and send a message. You can even message us on Facebook.
