Heres all you need to know about door to door air and sea freight before making a choice

Are you confused between door to door air and sea freight? Let’s delve deeper into both to have a clear understanding of which one to go for while shipping your cargo.

Door to door freight services are broadly categorized into two - air and sea freight. This categorization is not just based on the mode of transportation but also several other factors that are discussed below.

Cost - While the first and the most important deciding factor is cost for most shippers, sometimes capacity also plays an indispensable role. Door to door air freight is always more expensive than door to door sea freight because of obvious reasons such as high demand, costlier fuel, and higher operational costs of airplanes than that of ships. In fact, the cost of door to door air freight could be five times higher than that of door to door sea freight. Despite a higher cost, shippers are sometimes compelled to opt for door to door air freight because of faster delivery and size of the shipment.

Size of the shipment - Shipment size could sometimes be a constraint to shipping by air because standard door to door air freight allows only 96 * 125 in (2.44 * 3.15 m). Any shipment larger than this size calls for either a switch to ocean freight or some special arrangements in place for shipping by air. Door to door ocean freight has no restrictions on the shipment size. Even if you don’t have a full container load (FCL), you can still ship your cargo as less than container load (LCL).

Time - Considering time is of the essence, shippers opt for door to door air freight irrespective of higher costs. While non-stop air freight shipping could be really fast, the one with many stops can take up to a week’s time to get delivered. On the contrary, it takes somewhere between more than a week to two months to get a cargo shipped through door to door ocean freight.

Reliability - Door to door air freight is considered to be one of the most reliable methods of shipping because of speedy delivery and responsible attitude of the airlines. They are usually quick to reschedule a flight route in case of delays, thus leaving no or less chances for shipment delays. On the other hand, shipping lines work on weekly schedules, adding up further to delays, if any. Furthermore, the customs clearance process for both types of door to door freight services are different in terms of timelines. Ocean shipments take longer to be cleared as compared to air shipments.

Final thoughts - Depending on the decisive factor for you, you can go for either door to door air freight or door to door sea freight. Reliable and experienced freight forwarders in India can help you with an informed decision and guide you towards an efficient mode of shipping based on your business needs.