Understanding the Air Courier Service Charges

With globalisation and the need for fast movement of goods across international borders, the demand for air courier service has increased a great deal. E-commerce stores and manufacturing companies are tapping international markets for better profits and thus need to ensure the quick and efficient delivery of goods. And this need is efficiently met by air courier, which definitely comes for a price. This article presents a breakup of the charges incurred in air courier.

Chargeable Weight

This is the primary determinant of the courier charge and determined by the volumetric weight of the goods that are being shipped. This charge is also regulated by the ‘weight breaks’, which ensures a decrease in the charge due to increased weight. People can use this system to their advantage to lessen the cargo fare. The cargo weight is measured in kilograms, which is also known as a metric system to maintain a standard template in all countries.

Fuel Surcharge

As the name suggests, this is the fee levied to cover the fuel cost and varies from time to time due to changes in the fuel prices. This fee is charged on every kilogram of chargeable weight.

EXW

This is the ex-works charges and is actually the origin charges. This includes the cost of the custom clearance as well as the cost involved in getting the shipment from the manufacturer or supplier to the terminal from where it will be loaded onto the cargo plane.

Door Delivery Cost

This too is very evident from the name, and this is the cost involved in transporting the shipment from the airport to the place where it is supposed to be delivered. This charge can vary depending on various factors and the special requirements of a particular shipment.

Insurance

Insurance is absolutely important to cover the risks of damage or loss of the goods that are being carried via cargo plane. Every carrier always levies a certain premium for the insurance cover of the goods they would be carrying. This premium amount depends on the kind of products being shipped. For instance, the premium for goods made of glass would definitely be more than that of goods made of plastic or other sturdier materials.

Airline Terminal Fee

This is the fee charged by the airline for the safe management of the cargo at the airport terminal. This charge is often levied at both the places, the point of origin airport as well as the destination airport.

Evaluation Fee

This is the assessment fee that is charged for the complete examination of the products at the airport whenever needed. Not all goods need to be put through a thorough examination, but some may need to be completely opened to check the contents and give the clearance certificates.

Entrepreneurs who wish to avail the air courier service must know about all these charges to calculate the cost involved in the shipping of their goods.