How many times have you shipped a parcel or a set of documents to another country? For many parents who have children studying abroad, sending parcels, documents and other items is a pretty common thing. But have you ever stopped to think about the series of complex operations that take place behind the scenes in order to get the package delivered from one place to another? There are many things that you need to know about international air freight services and how they function. If you wish to understand how air shipping works, here’s what you need to know.
Sorting
The first step is sorting. Most international air freight services providers have regional offices in different places. When a customer hands over a parcel or an envelope of documents to be shipped to another location, a small sticker is placed on the parcel or the envelope. The sticker includes a unique tracking code and the addresses of the recipient and the sender. The same information is added in the computer as well. When the offices close at the end of the day, the parcels and documents are sorted based on their location. They are then shipped off to the company’s warehouse for dispatch.
Shipping
Once the parcels reach the company’s warehouse, they are packed separately and shipped off. Most international air freight services providers have partnerships and associations with numerous airlines. They are able to ship cargo at significantly reduced rates. The items are mostly shipped in cargo planes. For expedited shipping, many passenger airplanes also carry urgent cargo. However, urgent shipping is considerably more expensive as compared to ordinary, express shipping.
Dispatch
Many international air freight companies have their own shipping centers and head offices located near the airports. Once the packages are received by air, they are taken to the head office and are then sorted again based on the address. After sorting is complete, the items are shipped off to the regional offices located in the city. When the packages are received at the regional office, they are taken by couriers, who deliver them to the given addresses.
While this may seem like a considerably long process, many companies have managed to remove inefficiencies from their businesses and offer overnight shipping as well. This means that your items will be delivered in one night only! International air shipping companies have their own networks in different companies, thus making it easy for them to deliver packages as quickly as possible. Another major benefit is that many large shipping companies offer serious discounts to their customers. These are just some of the things that you should know about how international air shipping companies work.
