Facts About Air Freight And Sea Freight

FREIGHT: Facts About Air Freight And Sea Freight

Most companies that ship items use either air freight, sea freight or both. This is a cost effective and safe way to ship large items that cannot be shipped using the U.S. Postal Service. There are many interesting facts about the air freight and sea freight used by shipping companies such as IDT.

Air Freight Facts

A common abbreviation related to air freight is AWB, which is short for air waybill. An air waybill signifies the end of a contract that absolves the carrier in question from reporting, legal and insurance duties. When a contract is drawn up for air freight an official Letter of Credit is always required. This letter states that the purchaser will ensure the bank is paid the money they are owed as a result of the contract. The terms of these contracts always favor the seller over the buyer. In the event that either party defaults on the contract the scales will be tipped by the party that owes the money. The Letter of Credit ensures this will happen.

Sea Freight Facts

When it comes to sea freight two common abbreviations are FCL and LCL. FCL is short for full container load and LCL is short for less than container load. The weight of the load being shipped determines whether or not it is LCL or FCL. When it comes to any kind of freight shipping the ratio of mass vs weight is always one cubic meter to one ton.

Choosing Between Air Freight And Sea Freight Shipping

There are four factors that should always be considered before using air or sea freight shipping. Each factor should play a part in the decision as to whether air or sea freight will be more convenient. Those four factors are:

• Cost
• Environmental Impact
• Reliability
• Speed
• Cost

The first thing to look at when choosing between the two is the cost of the shipping. International shipping charges vary according to the type of shipping used and to what items are actually being shipped. To determine the cost of air freight shipping it is necessary to determine the chargeable weight of the item or items in question. This weight is calculated taking into account the size and weight of a particular shipment. Sea freight rates are determined by specific rates set for each container being shipped, according to its size. The standard size containers are 20’ and 40’. Weight does not impact the cost of sea freight rates as much as it impacts the cost of air freight rates. Generally the heavier and larger a shipment is the more like sea freight is a more affordable option than air freight.

Environmental Impact

The environmental impact of shipping the items in question is also a factor. Most of the time sea freight shipping is the more environmentally friendly choice. However, many hesitate to use sea freight shipping if what they are shipping could end up polluting the water. Air freight shipping results in significantly larger carbon fingerprints than sea freight shipping does.

Reliability

The reliability of the type of shipping used is also a factor in choosing one over the other. Though air freight shipping has been used for a shorter period of time than sea freight shipping has, many people prefer it. Air freight shipping has a better chance of being performed on time than sea freight shipping when there is an issue with the weather.

Speed

The speed of both shipping types is also taken into consideration. Air freight shipments are generally completed much faster than sea freight shipments are completed.