Air cargo transit is the chain of handoffs that takes freight from your dock to the receiver by air. AirFreight.com arranges and follows each step, from the truck that collects it to the one that delivers it. Here is what happens along the way.
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A chain of handoffs
Trucks, terminals and aircraft each take part of the journey.
Air cargo transit is everything that happens to a shipment between pickup and delivery when it travels by air. This page is about how air cargo moves in transit, not a company with that name. The flight is only one part. Before it, the freight is collected, delivered to the airline and prepared for loading. After it, the freight is unloaded, released and delivered.
Along the way, the shipment changes hands several times: from the pickup truck to the airline's cargo terminal, onto the aircraft, sometimes onto a second flight, back into a terminal and onto the delivery truck. Each handoff takes a little time, and each is a point where a delay can start.
AirFreight.com arranges and follows each step of air cargo transit, so one expeditor knows where the freight is from pickup to delivery.
Each step takes time
Tender, screening, build-up and recovery all add to transit.
Most air cargo follows the same steps. A truck collects the freight from the shipper and delivers it to the airline's cargo terminal before the cutoff, a step called tendering. The freight is checked against its air waybill, screened for security and built up into a container or onto a pallet with other cargo.
The unit is loaded onto the aircraft and flown to the destination, sometimes with a connection at a hub airport where it moves to a second flight. On arrival, the unit is unloaded and broken down, and the shipment is made available for pickup. A truck then recovers it from the terminal and delivers it to the receiver, who signs for it.
Each step has a clear owner. AirFreight.com plans the trucking at both ends and follows the shipment through the airline's steps in between.
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A small, single-engine aircraft with a large aft cargo door, designed for short- to medium-range travel. The PC-12 operates from small airfields and is known for safety and reliability.
A small, twin-engined turboprop aircraft for short- to medium-range deliveries. Capacity is limited, but its size and versatility allow it to use airports close to where its cargo is produced and needed.
The perfect aircraft for delivering vital parts or materials quickly, this famously efficient private jet accommodates five pallets and has a range of nearly 3,000 miles.
A smaller, twin-engined jet built for short- to medium-range transportation. Cargo capacity is a little over 10 tons, but the ability to use shorter runways increases the versatility of this aircraft.
Built for efficient delivery of huge loads to any corner of the globe. The wide-body design, with an opening nose, large side door, and cargo handling system, simplifies loading and unloading.
A few things slow it down
Cutoffs, connections, weekends and weather shape transit.
A few things have the biggest effect on air cargo transit. The cutoff is first: freight that reaches the terminal after it waits for a later flight. Direct flights involve fewer handoffs than connecting flights, which add time at a hub and another chance for a delay. Weekends and holidays thin out schedules on many routes, and weather can delay or cancel flights.
Capacity matters too. At busy times of year, flights fill up and cargo may be rolled to a later departure. For international shipments, customs clearance at the destination adds time, since freight cannot be released until the importer's customs broker has cleared it.
Most of these can be planned around. AirFreight.com times pickups to meet the cutoff, chooses direct flights where possible and suggests a charter when scheduled flights cannot meet the deadline.
Declare it early
Accurate contents and the air waybill number keep it moving.
Air cargo is usually tracked with the air waybill number, which identifies the shipment through each step of transit. Updates show when the freight has been tendered, flown, arrived and become available for pickup. A good provider adds its own updates on the trucking at both ends, so the shipper sees the whole journey.
Some items need special handling or cannot fly at all. Dangerous goods, including many lithium batteries, chemicals, aerosols and fuel-containing parts, must be declared and packed under strict rules, and some can only travel on cargo aircraft. Items that are not declared correctly can be held or refused, which stops the shipment in its tracks.
Declaring the contents accurately at booking keeps transit moving. AirFreight.com checks the contents with the shipper before tendering and shares updates at each step.
Planning keeps it moving
Book early, have it ready and plan both trucks.
Shippers can do a lot to keep air cargo transit on schedule. Booking early in the day gives the most flight options. Having the freight packed, labeled and ready when the truck arrives avoids a missed cutoff. Accurate weights, dimensions and contents prevent surprises at the terminal.
Planning both trucks at the start matters as much as the flight: the pickup that gets the freight to the airport on time, and the recovery and delivery at the other end. When timing is tight, a direct flight or an air charter can remove handoffs, and for shorter distances a dedicated truck may arrive first.
AirFreight.com plans each shipment this way, choosing the flight and trucks together and following the freight through transit with one expeditor from pickup to proof of delivery.
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