What Is Air Freight?

Air Freight is one of the most popular methods of shipping goods around the world. As the name suggests it involves the use of a plane and its popularity is due to several positive factors including but not limited to efficiency, speed and flexibility. Air Freight is at the heart of many of the worlds largest businesses, everything from the electronics industry through to the food industry relies at some point on the use of Air Freight.

How Does Air Freight Work?

As you would rightly expect due to the sheer volume and complexity of Air Freight there are a lot of regulations that must be followed when shipping goods across the planet, something that Atlantic International is well versed in, which in turn protects you and your company from falling foul of these stringent rules. When using Air Freight to ship goods you must be in possession of a Master Airway Bill (MAWB). This document has to be authorized by either the airline or its agent. The purpose of this document is to provide evidence of the contract of freight.

Are There Different Types of Air Freight?

One of the many benefits that Air Freight provides for business owners is flexibility and choice. When it comes to shipping your goods you can choose between using a dedicated freight aircraft, or you could take advantage of the many passenger flights that take place around the world daily, and utilize the hold of these planes for your freight requirements. Let's discuss the different names and options that you should become familiar with if you want to make informed decisions about your Air Freight requirements.

Consolidated Freight

This is where one flight contains a multitude of different shipments for a range of different companies. For many small to medium businesses, this option is a good choice as it means you are essentially sharing the space and indeed cost of the aircraft with many other businesses.

Charter Services

This is the name given to a flight that is chartered for a single delivery, so it is more than likely going to be utilized by large international companies such as Apple when they are transporting millions of iPhones before a worldwide launch.

Direct/ back-to-back

This is the name given for a flight which contains only one shipment. Not all goods that need to be shipped via Air Freight have the same requirements, there are typically two different types of air cargo.

General Cargo

Although the word general typically relates to more common everyday items in everyday life this is not typically the case in the air cargo industry. That is because general Cargo in this case refers to such items as electronics and pharmaceuticals which although likely to be high in value do not have any specific shipping conditions that need to be implemented during the shipping process.

Special Cargo

Special Cargo on the other hand, typically refers to items that demand specialist conditions during the transportation process to prevent them being damaged or destroyed. A good example of a special requirement may be the need for an extra strong protective case or in many cases ensuring that the hold remains between two specific temperatures.

What Are The Main Advantages Of Air Freight For Your Business?

Air Freight does deliver a large number of benefits to you as a business owner.

These include but are not limited to

Reliability and Efficiency

When you need to receive or deliver stock it is highly important that your logistics partner in this case Atlantic International, can stick to timelines and ensure that your valuable stock arrives on time. Generally speaking and in comparison to other transportation methods such as the sea, Cargo flights are significantly more reliable. Even if they are delayed it is typically only by a day or two as opposed to the weeks or even months that some shipping services can suffer from. Additionally, flights will always be faster than alternative methods ensuring a quick turnaround and a happy customer experience.

Security

Airlines are used to dealing with highly valuable freight. They have their security procedures fully locked down, and due to the short length of time, your freight is actually in transportation, the risk of theft or indeed damage is statistically low. Additionally, as everyone knows every flight in the world is tracked, which in turn enables your shipments to be easily traceable during every point of their journey.

Excellent Value

Not every company needs to transport large volumes of stock and if your business stock tends to be light in weight then Air Freight is most certainly going to be the best option for you, your business and your wallet. This is because Air Freight charges are calculated based on weight, rather than volume. Again depending on your specific needs and requirements the friendly and knowledgeable customer services team at Atlantic International will be more than happy to provide you with the relevant information upon which to make an informed decision.

Give Your Business A Competitive Advantage With Atlantic International

Air Freight can truly give your business a competitive advantage over your competition. With Atlantic International as your logistics partner, we can ensure that your stock can be replenished quickly and efficiently from virtually anywhere in the world. Our aim is always to serve you and provide you with the pathway to growth and success. By fulfilling our part of the deal you can focus on every other aspect of your business. We are proud of the part which we have played in helping our business partners succeed and we look forward to adding your business to that ever-growing list.

Are There Any Items Prohibited From Air Freight?

Although most things are eligible for Air Freight, there are as you might imagine some items which we cannot ship using Air Freight.

These include:

• Anything which the United Nations has classified as a dangerous good.
• Any Illegal Items Power supplies/banks and lithium batteries.
• Explosives or flammable substances.
• Firearms
• Biochemical Products

Having read this article we hope that you now have a much more comprehensive understanding of Air Freight and what it involves. However, if you have any further questions, or are looking for an experienced partner to help with your Air Freight needs then contact the customer service team at Atlantic International on 01527 874 980