Air freight consolidation is a special shipping option that exporters use when they need to ship large volumes of freight by plane. Before exporters can enjoy the many benefits of a consolidated air shipment, they’ll need to make necessary preparations.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) states that $6 trillion in goods travel by air annually. Air freight consolidation benefits are a big reason for this:
Exporters need an air waybill and must palletize to consolidate freight.
We’ll go over each benefit of air freight consolidation, the steps to prepare a shipment, and a few other important details of this service.
Air freight consolidation is when multiple shipments of air freight that would normally travel separately are combined into one. This service is similar to other forms of freight consolidation, such as when freight is consolidated into a trailer as truckload LTL or into a LCL container load.
There are a few different reasons an exporter might want to use air freight consolidation:
Shipping freight by air can be very expensive.If exporters have a large amount of freight that they need to ship by air, then consolidating into one is much more convenient then sending each separately. Air cargo consolidation is also used when international shippers are sending goods to different destinations in the same country.
Not only does this make air shipping more affordable, but it also speeds up the shipping process even more.
Read our article on the air freight forwarding process if you need detailed information on how this service works.
Standard air shipping already has many benefits that other international shipping options can’t compete with. Based on air cargo statistics, this shipping method extremely useful. Freight consolidation adds other benefits that make transporting goods by air even more appealing.
International air shipping is already a fast way to send goods from one country to the next. With air freight consolidation, exporters can shorten transit times further.
Each individual shipment will take a different amount of time if they’re sent one at a time. Consolidating these shipments when possible creates one unified transit time.
Another benefit of consolidating air shipments is that freight is delivered more consistently. Freight from individual shipments arrives at different times. However, all the goods in a consolidated shipment will arrive all at the same time when in one load. Although it might take longer to combine multiple air shipments, freight will still arrive quickly because it’s being transported by air.
Every shipper wants their freight to reach its destination safely. While ocean freight shipping is a reliable service, the likelihood of freight becoming damaged is higher. Consolidating air freight shipments into one plane is much safer than consolidating it into one container for marine shipping.
Some reasons for this include:
Consolidated air shipments only have to be loaded and unloaded once. This reduces the chances freight can become damaged because freight handling is reduced. Loading freight into a plane is also a much safer process than loading it into a trailer or container. Load floors on planes are equipped with electric rollers, which automate much of the loading/unloading process.
Despite the reliability of ocean freight shipping, air transportation is a safer option. According to the IATA’s 2021 Airline Safety Performance report, air travel was safer during this year than it was in 2020.
| Accident Type | 2021 | 2020 |
| All Accident Rate (Per One Million Flights | 1.01 (1 Accident Every 0.99 Million Flights) | 1.58 (1 Accident Every 0.63 Million Flights) |
| All Accident Rate for IATA Member Airlines | 0.44 (1 Accident Every 2.27 Million Flights) | 0.77 (1 Accident Every 1.30 Million Flights) |
| Total Accidents | 26 | 35 |
| Jet Hull Losses (Per One Million Flights) | 0.13 (1 Major Accident Every 7.7 Million Flights) | 0.16 (1 Major Accident Every 6.3 Million Flights) |
Provided by IATA
Exporters can face serious financial consequences if something happens to their shipment. When multiple shipments are sent via boat, the likelihood of them being damaged is higher.
Freight traveling by air doesn’t face as many threats while in transit. Security at airports is much more extensive than at ocean ports. Exporters will have peace of mind knowing that their freight will be safer as a consolidated air shipment than it will be when transported using another mode of transportation.
As an exporter, customer satisfaction is extremely important. Air freight consolidation gives exporters the ability to satisfy their buyers in another country with every shipment they send. Because air freight is so fast, customers in other countries won’t have to wait for long periods to receive their goods.
Even unloading is often handled more quickly because planes don’t carry as much as container vessels. These two factors will ensure that customers are always satisfied when they receive their freight shipment.
Consolidated marine container shipments can deliver freight to a port at once, but they won’t arrive as quickly because of how long loading and unloading at a port can take.
One of the greatest shortcomings of international air freight shipping is how expensive it is. Each shipment that’s transported in a plane will have a separate cost. The cost of multiple shipments can end up being more expensive than one larger one.
By consolidating, exporters are able to save money because they’ll only have to pay for one shipment instead of multiple.
Check out our article on the general advantages of air freight for more details on these benefits
Although there are many benefits to using air freight consolidation, exporters will need to make a few preparations before using the service.
These preparations include:
Exporters should complete these preparations with care to ensure that consolidation goes smoothly for them.
Every individual shipment of freight will have an air waybill to accompany it. These documents contain important information about the freight they want to ship off. If an exporter has already created separate air waybills for the freight they want to consolidate, they only need to combine the information from each onto one waybill.
Exporters will have to follow only a few different steps when filling out a new bill for their consolidated shipment.
After this step, exporters can move onto palletizing their shipment.
Freight that travels by air can be transported in either specialized cargo containers or on air cargo pallets. If transported on an air cargo pallet, freight will have to be loaded onto a regular pallet first. To do this, shippers will have to take freight from each of their shipments.
Palletization is completed by following these two simple steps:
Exporters should stack the heaviest packages towards the bottom of the pallet. Packages should also be stacked in a columnar or interlocked pattern. These two patterns are the best at keeping freight secure and make wrapping much easier.
Freight should be wrapped from the top all the way down to the base of the pallet. Exporters can also use straps to give their palletized freight better stability. After freight has been palletized, exporters will have everything they need to consolidate correctly.
Before an exporter chooses to use air freight or air freight consolidation, they should check what items cannot be shipped by air. Many types of commodities can travel overseas to other countries. However, some have qualities that make them too dangerous to transport.
Goods that can’t be transported by air include:
Exporters with goods like these will not be able to ship their freight using international air transportation. That said, international shippers can consolidate air shipments composed of certain hazardous materials. They will only need to follow any applicable regulations regarding the transportation of those goods.
If your freight requires special treatment, then check out our article on the three types of air freight shipping services.
International air freight consolidation is one of the services that we offer at USA Freight Forwarding. With our help at your disposal, you’ll be able to combine your air shipments and send them off to another country very quickly.
We also offer additional services such as:
Ocean freight shipping has many unique perks and is the most reliable way to send freight to other countries. Our 1-on-1 consulting sessions are useful if you have any questions about what your responsibilities are as a shipper of international goods. Our experienced freight forwarders can also explain how they will help you through the process.
Contact our team now or call us at (866) 941-8081 if you’re ready to send your international freight shipment.
