Air Freight Services

​​Freight of all types is usually arranged by freight forwarding companies, like us here at Pinnacle. 

Here’s the process that will need to be taken for you to arrange air freight: 

• Contact Pinnacle for a quotation based on your requirements.. 

From here on, the Pinnacle  will manage the supply chain to effectively handle your shipment.

• Pinnacle  will collect your goods. These will either be pre-packaged by the supplier or the forwarder will take on responsibility for the packing, in the case of ‘Export Packing’.
• Your shipment will be taken to the airport, where it will need to clear customs and be loaded onto the plane.  
• The shipment will be flown to the pre-arranged airport closest to the destination where it will need to pass through customs again. 
• The shipment will be released when all duty and taxes have been paid.
• The goods will be delivered to the destination as per Incote

Common pricing categories are: 

• Spot Rate Market – Spot rates are daily rates made available by the carrier. These rates are usually offered because an airline may not be filled to capacity. 

There are also promotional rates, which may be offered up by the carrier to build up specific traffic on certain routes. 

In terms of actually calculating the cost of the shipment, this is done by the ‘chargeable’ weight. This could be either the gross weight or the volumetric weight – whichever is greater.

• Contract Pricing – Contract rates are provided by carriers for specific flights. As the weight increases, the rates decrease. 

• Tariff Pricing – Tariff rates vary by carrier. 

Carrier specific tariff rates apply for: 

• • Dangerous goods 
  • Oversized cargo 
  • Perishable goods 
  • Valuable goods 
  • Live animals 

Working out the actual weight of your cargo is as simple as weighing it. Working out the volumetric weight is also simple, but requires an equation. 

Here’s the process for finding the chargeable weight of your shipment:

1. Calculate the volume of the air freight shipment. Volume = length x width x height. 
2. Volumetric weight is calculated at 6000 cubic centimetres per kilogram. Divide the volume (LxWxH) by 6000. 
3. Convert the weight into kilograms. This is the volumetric weight. 
4. Compare the volumetric weight with the gross weight of the shipment. The larger of the two numbers will be the weight used to calculate shipping costs.

Usually, sea freight is cheaper than air freight. Sometimes smaller shipments can be cheaper via air than ocean, but for the most part sea freight will cost less. 

However, a lower cost doesn’t necessarily mean that sea freight is the right choice for the shipment. For instance, if the shipment transit time needs to be quick due to the product’s urgency, sensitivity or high value then air freight is a better choice than sea freight. This is especially true as sea freight can be prone to delays.

Other variables to consider when choosing between air and sea freight are: 

• The risk profile of a product. Air freight is safer and much better for sensitive and high value shipments due to the security levels throughout the supply chain..
• The cost of goods and capital. If the order value is high, then spending weeks with the shipment bound up in transit could hold up your cash flow.

For a cost comparison, ask your freight forwarder to provide pricing for both air freight and sea freight to ensure that you can make the best choice for your business.

Chargeable weight refers to the weight that the airline uses to determine the cost of your shipment. This could either be volumetric weight or gross weight – it depends on which is greater.

Volumetric weight in air freight is the estimated weight value based on a package’s length, width and height. This is also referred to as dimensional weight.

Transit times for air cargo from China to the UK range from four to seven days. The freight spends just a fraction of this time in the air as it takes 24-48 hours to organise the shipment to send and then time for customs clearance on arrival to the UK.

There are a few primary types of air freight. These include expedited charter, on-board courier, commercial airline and cargo airline.

Air cargo refers to the goods carried by a third-party aircraft, and air freight refers to the service and process of carrying the cargo via aircraft. While the term cargo can be used interchangeably with freight, these two terms refer to what a plane carries versus how it is carried.

The benefits of air freight over other modes include higher security throughout your cargo’s journey, faster transit times, direct to inland airports, more destinations and more reliable services.

The following products are transported by air:

Urgent goods
High volume goods
Intercontinental urgent mail
Spare parts and spare parts for land vehicles
Spare parts for the aerospace industry
Perishable food
Materials for fairs and events
Plants
Drugs, vaccines and pharmaceutical products
Live animals
Luxury products
Artworks
Machinery and accessories for medical use