Prepare dimensions for each piece, shipping documents and receiving details. Distinguish booking from cargo acceptance and agree a backup plan for urgent parts.
Plan air freight around when the goods are needed
Ask for an air freight plan covering the packed cargo through to the required delivery point. If only part of the order is urgent, compare sending it separately. Reconfirm loading feasibility and acceptance whenever the final pieces differ from the booking.
Compare your options ↓Choose the option that fits
Describe the complete shipping task
An air freight enquiry should include the origin, destination, readiness date, piece count, external dimensions, gross weight and packaging type. State whether the service ends at an airport or includes delivery to an address. Disclose unusually tall or long pieces, non-stackable cargo and any temperature requirement before requesting space.
Total weight alone is not enough: the shape of each piece affects aircraft space and loading. One tall crate and several stackable cartons may weigh the same but require different arrangements. Provide measurements that reflect the final packed condition, including any base or protective structure.
Confirm the journey, not just a flight
Ask whether the route includes a transfer and how origin receiving, screening or acceptance checks, air carriage, destination handling and delivery will connect. A direct flight does not always deliver sooner. Cargo handover times and destination handling also affect final delivery.
For urgent cargo, describe the business milestone that cannot be missed, such as material available for production or equipment delivered to an exhibition venue. Request an expected window and a clear list of unconfirmed steps. Avoid using a flight's scheduled arrival as a promise that the customer can use the goods at that time.
Keep the documents aligned with the cargo
Before handover, compare the commercial invoice, packing list and booking details for product descriptions, package count, weights and shipper and consignee information. Update the data if the final packaging changes. Tell the receiving team about a changed piece count or crate size before the truck arrives.
IATA describes booking, physical receipt and acceptance for carriage as separate parts of the handling process. For your own records, distinguish a reservation from warehouse handover and confirmed acceptance. Identify who confirms each status; do not call all three “booked.”
Set practical alternatives for urgent shipments
Discuss in advance whether a different airport, split shipment or revised delivery arrangement would be acceptable if the preferred plan changes. Check the cost, operational feasibility and recipient's ability to cooperate. A promise to find something faster later is not a defined backup plan.
Record the latest decision time, who may approve extra expenditure and which products take priority. If critical materials share cartons with routine stock, consider a packing arrangement that allows separation. After any split, recheck piece references, the matching documents and the receiving contact for each batch.
A handover record that separates booking from departure
Consider an urgent order quoted as two crates. At final packing, the supplier changes it to three crates and adds 18 cm to the tallest piece. The original booking no longer matches the cargo. Before handover, send the revised piece list and ask the provider to reassess loading feasibility, available space and price.
| Milestone | Evidence to retain | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity confirmed | Booking reference, routing, piece list and quoted cargo configuration | The actual goods have passed warehouse checks |
| Physically received | Warehouse receipt and measured piece count, weights and dimensions | Accepted for carriage or loaded on a flight |
| Accepted for carriage | Acceptance confirmation and any unresolved conditions | Actual departure |
| Departed | Movement confirmation linked to the shipment | Customs release or final delivery |
| Available at destination | Terminal availability information and release requirements | The receiving warehouse has the goods |
Agree a backup plan before it becomes urgent
For the same order, suppose only six of the forty parts are required to restart a production line. Record whether those six can be packed separately, what documents each shipment would need and who can approve the extra cost. The decision is then between complete, workable options rather than a general request to “make it faster.”
A useful instruction is: “If the revised three-crate plan cannot meet the agreed cargo acceptance window, provide an express option for six identified parts and a separate plan for the balance. Obtain approval before creating duplicate shipments.” Replace the trigger with the actual confirmed milestone. Include origin and destination minimum charges when comparing a split, and reconcile the final quantities to the original order.
Give the operator a piece-level loadability record
Use a final crate schedule rather than “three crates, approximately half a tonne.” In this original example, the third crate is now 118 cm high after a packing change. The revised shipment totals 480 kg gross and 2.864 m³. This volume describes the packages; it does not prove that any particular aircraft can load them.
IATA separates booking, receipt and acceptance. A confirmed booking therefore needs to match the cargo actually handed over. As a specific example of operator controls, the FedEx US air-freight packing page requires prior approval for a skid above 2,200 lb or above 70 in high, 119 in long or 80 in wide. Those figures belong to that guidance, not to all airlines; being below them does not establish acceptance.
- The packer measures every finished crate, including base, runners and projections, and attaches any centre-of-gravity or lifting instructions supplied for the product.
- The booking coordinator sends the revised schedule for the actual routing and records the response against that revision before collection.
- If crate C cannot be accepted, compare an operator-approved routing with a packer-approved redesign or a separate dispatch of eligible pieces. Update documents and deadlines for the selected option.
| Piece | Final outer L × W × H | Gross weight | Volume | Handling record to attach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 120 × 80 × 100 cm | 180 kg | 0.960 m³ | Base drawing, lifting access, orientation and approved stacking status |
| B | 120 × 80 × 100 cm | 180 kg | 0.960 m³ | Separate identification even though the dimensions match A |
| C | 100 × 80 × 118 cm | 120 kg | 0.944 m³ | Revised height photograph and packing drawing; previous configuration superseded |
| Shipment | 3 crates | 480 kg | 2.864 m³ | One revision number and measurement date for the complete schedule |
Sources
This is a planning guide. Requirements vary by service and destination. Confirm cargo acceptance, charges, customs requirements and delivery arrangements with your provider before shipping.
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