01
IATA agent rates
Cargo agent pricing across major carriers rather than retail rates, on both scheduled and consolidated services.
Service 02 — Air
Air freight,
when the ship won’t do.
Consolidated, direct and next-flight-out air cargo for the shipments where the sailing schedule simply will not hold. IATA cargo agent rates with door-to-door visibility on every leg.
Air is expensive. Use it deliberately.
Air freight typically costs several times what ocean does per kilogram, so the honest question is never "air or ocean" — it is "what does being late actually cost me?" A stockout on your best-selling SKU, a production line waiting on a component, a seasonal window closing: those numbers usually dwarf the freight differential. A slow-moving replenishment order almost never does.
We will tell you when air is not worth it. That is not us being unhelpful — a forwarder who upsells you into air on every rush is a forwarder who will not be handling your ocean volume next year.
The three service levels
- Consolidated — your cargo moves with other shipments on a co-loaded master air waybill. Cheapest air option, adds a day or two at each end
- Direct — your own house air waybill on a scheduled flight, no consolidation delay
- Next flight out — the shipment goes on the first available departure, whatever it is. Fastest and priciest; used for AOG, medical and line-down situations
Chargeable weight, and why quotes surprise people
Airlines charge on whichever is greater: actual gross weight, or volumetric weight calculated at roughly 1 cubic metre to 167 kg. Light bulky cargo — apparel, foam, packaging — almost always prices on volume. If your first air quote came in far above what you expected, this is usually why. Send us dimensions along with weight and we will give you the real chargeable figure up front rather than revising it after you have committed.
What's included
What an air booking covers
Every item below is handled by the same coordinator who quoted you — there is no hand-off to a different desk once the booking is confirmed.
02
Next flight out
First available departure for AOG, line-down and medical urgency, with the shipment tracked flight by flight.
03
Charter
Full or part charter arranged when volume, dimensions or timing rules out scheduled capacity.
04
Dangerous goods
IATA DGR-compliant documentation, packing check and declaration for regulated commodities.
05
Perishables
Temperature-sensitive and cool-chain handling with airport-side cold storage where the lane supports it.
06
Customs on arrival
CBSA or US entry filed ahead of wheels-down so the shipment moves straight from the airline to your door.
Questions
Before you book
The things clients ask us most often on this service. If yours is not here, call or email — you will get a real answer, not a callback form.
On chargeable weight — the greater of actual gross weight or volumetric weight, where volumetric is roughly 1 cubic metre to 167 kg. Light bulky cargo prices on volume, which is why quotes surprise people. Give us dimensions and weight together and we will give you an accurate number first time.
Hong Kong or Shanghai to Toronto or Chicago is typically two to four days door to door on a direct service, and a day or two longer consolidated. Next flight out compresses that further but you pay for it.
Yes, under IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. Send us the SDS and we will confirm whether the commodity is acceptable, what packing group applies and what it does to your rate before you commit.
Ask what being late costs you. If it is a stockout on a top SKU or a production line waiting, air usually pays for itself. If it is routine replenishment, it usually does not — and we will say so.
Both. Door-to-door is the default because it puts one party in charge of the whole move; airport-to-airport is available if you have your own pickup and clearance arrangements.
Get started
Tell us the lane.
We'll price it today.
Origin, destination, commodity and volume is all we need. A coordinator replies with an all-in rate inside one business day — with their name and direct line on it.
Phone
Offices
Toronto, ON · Canada
Batavia, IL · United States
Batavia, IL · United States