Shipping your freight by air is the fastest option nowadays. When moving long-distance, or just to the nearest country, your goods will be delivered before you know it. In comparison to the sea freight shipping, shipping by air is around 30 times faster. The cost of air freight shipping is not small, but if you think in terms of efficacy, then it certainly pays off. If you are moving to Virginia, you will want your goods to be delivered fast and safe, and this is only one of the benefits of air freight shipping.
Why Should You Choose Air Freight?
While there are other options to ship your freight, shipping by air bears the most benefits.
- Time-saving – If you have an upcoming deadline to move because of your new job, or college, air freight shipping will not disappoint you. Depending on where are you moving from, your goods can arrive in less than 24 hours.
- Safe – Air traffic is by far the safest option for traveling and shipping. Your goods are significantly less likely to get damaged in the air than in the ocean.
- Reliable – You will always know where are your goods at any given moment because tracking of air freight is easy and safe.
The Cost Of Air Freight Shipping Depends On Several Factors
You have probably heard that shipping by air is by far the most expensive option. Now we will take into consideration how are the costs calculated so that you can get a better insight into what determines the price.
Actual Weight
The cost of air freight shipping can depend solely on the actual weight of your shipping. That means that your items are weighed and that is it. That can help you calculate the cost to ship a car from California to Virginia, for example. However, sometimes, the price is calculated in a different manner.
Volumetric Weight
Volumetric weight is usually called dimensional weight. They calculate the volume of your items, and if it is greater than the actual weight, they will charge you by the volumetric weight, because it is more expensive. This weight is calculated when you multiply the dimensions (weight, length, height) in cubic meters by 167.
Additional Fees
The final cost of air freight shipping will contain the price of several fees. When shipping by air always request for an invoice, so that you can see what fees were charged. The fact is, every company has a different way to charge you for the air freight shipping. However, you should count on fuel, security, and cargo insurance fees. That is normal. However, with an invoice, you will always know precisely what fees were you charged.
How Can You Reduce The Cost Of Air Freight Shipping?
Based on the way the shipping charges are calculated, and on several other factors, you can significantly reduce the cost of air freight shipping. If you can deduct moving expenses, this whole experience will be much less stressful.
Reduce The Weight Of Your Shipping
Think about all the items that you will need when you move. Ask yourself if you need all of them, or you can move with less. Go through each of your items carefully, and leave aside the things that you no longer need. Think of this as a way to get rid of all the items that are old or not functioning correctly. You can have a garage sale, or sell most of your items online. If you do not have time for this, simply donate the clothes that you no longer wear, for example. Perhaps your friends and family would like to have some of your plants, appliances, etc. The less weight you carry with you, the fewer the cost will be.
Ship All At Once
If you are shipping your goods via air, do it all at once. Everything that you have should be sent in one go. There is no reason why you should pay twice for the additional fees that we mentioned above. Plus, if the volumetric weight is not high, the cost of the shipment will be lower.
Don`T Choose The Nearest Date
If you have even a week to spare, it can reduce the cost of air freight shipping. The airline company will offer you the fastest option, but you can opt for lower priority cargo. That means that it will have a couple of extra days in transit. Ask for all delivery dates possible, if you are not supposed to move in under 48 hours. Think about what is the best time to move and you will save money. It is still the fastest option when compared to sea freight shipping, but the cost will be lower.
Combine Air Freight And Sea Freight Shipping
Why not take advantage of both options? The items that are your highest priority should be sent by airplane, whereas all the other items can be shipped by ship. In this way, you will use the advantages of both methods to ship your items. There is no reason why you should not save a couple of hundred dollars, even thousands. The most important thing is that you have all your items available when you need them.
The cost of air freight shipping depends on many factors as we have seen. It is hard to estimate the exact price because it depends on the items that you are carrying. However, it is comforting to know that you can reduce the cost mainly if you set the timing right and reduce the weight of the shipment.
