Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Hire Air Freight Services in South Africa

Many businesses have no idea what air freight services entail, let alone how and when they should use them. That’s why so many small business owners avoid air freight services in South Africa and instead opt for other shipping solutions, such as ocean freight or courier services. However, by avoiding air freight services, many businesses are missing out on a great opportunity to save time and money while streamlining their supply chain processes. So if you haven’t yet hired an air freight company, here are some reasons why you definitely should.

You need to transport a delicate cargo

Shipping delicate cargo via other shipping methods can be extremely risky, especially if the cargo is perishable. For example, if you want to transport flowers from a hothouse in Florida to a customer in Norway, the best solution would be to use air freight services in South Africa. This is because flowers are perishable and need to be kept at a certain temperature to stay fresh. Ocean freight would be far too risky in this case, because the journey would last several weeks and there is no guarantee that the flowers would remain at the right temperature the entire time. In contrast, air freight services in South Africa would see the flowers travel in an airplane that is kept at the right temperature at all times.

You want to ship quickly

Another reason why you might want to use air freight services in South Africa is if you need to ship quickly. This is obviously not relevant for all types of cargo, and air freight services are not necessarily faster than certain ocean freight services. However, air freight services are often faster than other types of shipping for two reasons. First, the whole shipping process is streamlined, so things are less likely to get held up at customs. Second, air freight services are much faster once the cargo is loaded onto the plane at the departure airport because the plane is not sailing across an ocean.

You don’t have enough space for your cargo

A very common mistake made by business owners is to assume that the cargo will fit into the shipping container. In many cases, the cargo will not fit and so the owner has to pay a hefty fine. If you aren’t sure whether or not your cargo will fit in the shipping container, you can use a freight calculator to find out. However, it’s important to note that the actual cargo often fills up a lot more space than you’d expect. This is because there are various other things that need to fit in the shipping container, such as the pallet the cargo is on, the container itself, and a lot of empty space to account for things shifting. In contrast, air freight services in South Africa will fit exactly the cargo that you need it to.

Hidden Costs of Air Freight Services in South Africa

When doing a cost-benefit analysis, you need to be aware that air freight services in South Africa have several hidden costs. This is particularly true if you are shipping to or from another country. One example of a hidden cost is the “terminal handling charge,” which is often not included in the price of the shipping service. Another hidden cost is the “customs brokerage fee.” This is the fee that your freight forwarding company charges you to make sure that your cargo goes through customs smoothly.

3 Tips for Using Air Freight Services Successfully

To make sure that your air freight services in South Africa go smoothly, here are three tips to keep in mind. First, make sure that you have a clear shipping plan. You should know exactly what will happen with each piece of cargo as soon as it lands at the airport. Second, make sure that you hire an experienced air freight company. Air freight companies have a wide range of experience and some are better than others. Hire a company that has extensive experience in your industry and with your type of cargo. Finally, use a freight management software like Shipping Smarter to organize your shipping process and to find out how much your air freight services will cost.

Conclusion

Air freight services in South Africa are a great option if you are shipping delicate cargo, want to ship quickly, or don’t have enough space for your cargo. However, you should be aware that these types of shipping services have some hidden costs and are not always faster than other shipping methods.