Customers with long-distance shipping requirements often struggle to make sense of the various options open to them. Global logistics companies usually handle air freight and ocean freight both and they can be a strong choice for the right client.
Typically, air freight transportation suits urgent, low-weight shipping requirements. Airmail is a classic example of a low-weight but a valuable product that is time sensitive. Air freight customers need speed above every other consideration. Charging by weight, air freight can be carried either on dedicated planes or in the hold of passenger aircraft.
Needless to say, if you are transporting furniture or a car, air freight is not an appropriate choice. Bulky items are typically shipped by road and sea. Ocean transport is slower but much cheaper than air freight, so if you are shipping a non-essential item, this is a logical place to start. The vast majority of world goods traffic takes place on the ocean and on roads. Road transport typically is not an option for intercontinental transport or even long distances within the same continent. While it is in theory possible to drive from Istanbul to Shanghai, such journeys are extremely slow and often rely on sub-autoroute quality roads. Even for much shorter distances, sea transport would be preferable.
Ocean freight shipping
There are two main types of ocean freight – less than container load and full container load. Since the 1950s a large portion of ocean shipping has used standardized containers. If you have enough goods to fill one, shipping is a relatively simple affair. Just by checking the sailing schedules of a major provider, you can find out when to load your cargo. Shipping companies will typically provide a full service where they collect and provide the container. This is FCL or full container load shipping.
FCL is advantageous for customers with relatively large volumes to ship. When you can fill a whole container your options are considerably wider. Containers have a maximum weight but are usually priced by volume. Unless you are shipping extremely heavy cargo you are unlikely to run up against these weight limits. Oversize shipping options exist for those goods that can’t fit in a normal container. These are slower and often more expensive as they require hand loading instead of automatic container cranes. For fragile and valuable goods like musical instruments or some furniture, this is the standard ocean shipping solution.
Less than container load (LCL) shipments are appropriate for customers who do not have enough goods to fill an entire container. In this case, the role of the shipping company expands as they need to put together several customer orders to create a single full load. Depending on how busy the route is, this might be a quick process or a very slow one.
Difference between air freight and other way of transportation
Air freight is a little different from shipping by sea. Customers for air freight vary widely. Some are small businesses, shipping time-sensitive goods like fresh vegetables. Others are private individuals with valuables they do not want to be away from for a multi-week sea voyage. Flying to even the most distant parts of the globe rarely takes more than 24 hours. Even allowing for schedules, it is normally possible to ensure a 48-hour turnaround for most locations. This contrasts favourably with the multi-week voyage times for long-distance shipping routes.
The restrictions on air freight cargo are more onerous than for ships. Particularly since the 9/11 terror attacks, airlines have strict restrictions on what goods can be in transportation. These are enforced tightly and breaches can result in fines or even criminal charges for shippers. Naturally, a good shipping company will take care of any of these restrictions. The transport of explosives, weapons, and fireworks requires a specialized contract and is very unlikely to use air.
Refrigerated goods normally transport by air. Some vegetables such as bananas continue to ripen after being picked, and so are appropriate for sea transport. For fresh vegetables, salads or berries, however, they need rapid road or air transport. Be careful to include the time taken for road connections in your overall assessment of how long travel will take.
Jewellery and valuable documents are both common air freight cargos. Extra care is taken with valuables; many providers offer a ‘white glove service’ that involves enhanced insurance, secure collection and delivery, and rapid air freight. It is important to ensure your insured value is an accurate reflection of the value of the items. In the unlikely event of an incident damaging or destroying your goods, insurance will contribute to the cost of replacing or repairing those items.
How air freight shipping is charged?
Air freight is normally charged by weight. There are restrictions on the dimensions of goods by plane, but weight is the direct contributor to the airline’s fuel costs and so takes priority in pricing calculations. Small packages and paperwork are therefore more preferable for air freight.
Choosing between air freight and an ocean freight shipping solution is often quite simple. If you want to transport a piano, you will want a fragile sea service. If you are transporting a necklace or letters, you would choose air freight, perhaps using a white glove service. These are both clearcut examples. Shipping bulky but essential items, such as when moving house, can be far more difficult. The long travel times of sea freight clash with the weight maximums on planes. Some people will divide up their goods between essential, emergency requirements that they use plane and the bulk of their needs which use the sea. Specialized services such as car transport are also popular. Obviously, cars are transported by sea, but their shipping is quite different from FCL and LCL and treated separately.
Conclusion
Whatever route you go down, it’s important to find a provider you can trust. Major shippers that established for decades have the port and customer relationships required to smooth over difficulties with customer orders. Small administrative delays can cause major knock-on effects if they lead to a missed sailing or destroy a time-sensitive delivery. You can learn more here.