Booking freight- Airline Services

Booking freight- Airline Services

Booking freight is the process by which a forwarder reserves space on a particular commercial or cargo aircraft. Every shipment must be “booked” in order to ensure the freight moves on the preferred flight you desire to use.

1. 
   Using what you have learned in sections II and III, you should now have a carrier of choice and are ready to book a shipment. There are two options for this:
   

• 
  Option one is to call the airline and book it via phone.
  
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  Option two is book the freight via the carrier/trucker’s web site.
  

2. 
   What is required to book freight? If you use option 1, you need:
   

• 
  Account Number
  
• 
  Pieces
  
• 
  Weight
  
• 
  Dimensions
  
• 
  Type of Service
  
• 
  Origin
  
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  Destination
  
• 
  Time you are to drop off the freight.
  

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  Your vendor login and pass word.
  
• 
  Pieces
  
• 
  Weight
  
• 
  Dimensions
  
• 
  Type of Service
  
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  Origin
  
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  Destination
  
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  Time you are to drop off the freight.
  

3. 
   When does a shipment need to be booked? Always on Intl Cargo
   

1. 
   If freight is going freighter it must be booked. Freighters have set cut off times by origin.
   
2. 
   Some trucks also require booking especially when shipments are larger then 1000lbs check with manager for these truck lines. Applies to Transborder services.
   

4. 
   Airlines all have different terminology for “express” shipments these are need when booking to insure freight is booked correctly
   

1. 
   Air Canada : SCT
   
2. 
   American: Expedite FS
   
3. 
   United: TDG
   
4. 
   Continental: CMR
   
5. 
   USAir: Air Express
   
6. 
   Delta: Priority First
   
7. 
   Northwest: Specific air
   

5. 
   Choosing to send bulk General vs. Express freight is strictly a function of the service requested by the customer and the number of flights available. Also if a city has a limitation of flights going to that city if may need to move express to insure service.
   
6. 
   Even though a shipment is booked Express, there is no guarantee it will move. It is important to note that the airlines all have a priority list for how their planes are loaded. Keep in mind that every aircraft has a weight limit which can fluctuate with weather conditions, and with that in mind their loading priority is:
   

1. 
   Fuel
   
2. 
   Passengers
   
3. 
   Baggage
   
4. 
   Us mail
   
5. 
   Counter to Counter
   
6. 
   Priority(express) freight
   
7. 
   General freight
   

7. 
   Filling out air bill once booked.
   

1. 
   Entering the account number is mandatory.
   
2. 
   Airlines have commodity codes for their different services. You must make sure this is marked on bills to ensure that we are billed properly.
   
3. 
   Airline Bills will have their different service levels marked so make sure you check the appropriate one. In the case of NW specific air must be written across the air bill for express service. Also CO requires CMR to be written across their bill for express service.
   

8. 
   When you have completed filling out an Air bill you must remember to attach the IAC Certificate (Indirect Air Carrier Certificate). This must be completed for the airline to accept a shipment.
   

SECTION VI

Email

Email is an excellent form of communication between our clients, management, the sales team, other offices, and other customer service reps. Every employee at Stevens is set up in MS Outlook. Most of your emails will be sent using MS Outlook from the icon on your computer screen. You can also email useful information out of the waybill and masters bill in Satcom Enterprise. (Ctrl-N-Notes.) You will find this feature in the notes section of both screens. Please remember when sending an email provide as much information as possible and present information clear as people interpret things differently.

1. 
   Shipment delays. Email the sales rep and your supervisor so they are aware of the problem and are given and opportunity to correct it.
   
2. 
   Delivery problems or if extra charges are being added. Email this info to the sales rep and your supervisor so they can make sure we a covered for the extra cost. Remember to be a specific as possible when relaying this info.
   
3. 
   When you get info such as POD or charges for someone else’s area. Let them know that you have entered in the info so that they do not try to look for the info after it is already in the system.
   

Email should not be used:-.

1. 
   When you need an immediate answer to a question such as you have a shipment it is arriving in late the agent can still get it delivered same day but will require a 10:00 special. In a case like this, you need to call the sales rep or bring it to your immediate supervisor for response. The reason being if we wait for an email reply we may loose the driver that can deliver the special and delay service on our shipment.
   
2. 
   You should never use email to argue a point. If you disagree with something someone says to you in email do not respond. Pick up the phone and talk to that Company or bring it to you supervisor to address. As you may find out that the Company who sent the email did not mean the statement they was you interpreted it. If you respond to it you make take a harmless situation and escalate it to a major issue. It is best if you disagree with some ones comments that you get together with that Company and you supervisor and work to a solution.
   
3. 
   Email is for company purposes only. It is not for personal use. See the Employee Manual for further details.
   

Email Etiquette:-

• 
  Emails aren’t private. If you don’t want someone else to read it, don’t send it.
  
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  If it is not fit to print in a public medium, don’t put it in email. Be cautious that the receiver will not find your language humiliating, offensive or biased.
  
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  Follow the same etiquette you would when writing a letter. Never use all caps. It indicates shouting and always utilize the spell check.
  
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  Don’t send more emails than necessary; the success of an email depends on immediacy, quality and purpose.
  
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  Emails are not a replacement for human contact. They should serve as an enhancement.
  
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  Be sure to respond in a timely manner. Clients have little patience with this as it is a medium that communicates instantly.
  
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  If you are on vacation, leaving early or out of the office, use the “out of office” tool. If you are out ill, give your supervisor your password to follow up on your emails.
  
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  “To” is the person who needs the info or must respond back.
  
• 
  “CC” only those who are affected by the message. Do not cc in the entire company. This can be the person’s direct report or supervisor.
  
• 
  “BCC” to be used to keep those you want up to date without the recipient knowing.
  
• 
  Keep it short and to the point.
  

SECTION VII

1. 
   Required Info
   
   1. 
      Get complete information including:
      

• 
  Pickup location
  
• 
  Service needed
  
• 
  Pieces
  
• 
  Weight
  
• 
  Dimensions
  
• 
  Destination
  
• 
  Commodity
  

On large quotes negotiate and consolidate. When it becomes necessary to build quotes from scratch it is very worthwhile to get spot rates if at all possible from carriers and agents. In this situation always present to a manager. This would be on shipments of 1000lbs or more.

2. 
   Watch small airport zones and beyond areas. Small airports usually mean only small aircraft can land there. Usually service is poor and rates are high to these points. Follow up. Ask questions, Including when the customer intends to ship as ready times could affect your cut off. Document the quote. All quotes must be entered into Satcom Enterprise with all the correct info including routing. Most Sales rep requests text pages of quotes for their customers because if it is a good customer they may want to go at a lower margin. So it is important that all the info is entered in the system.
   
3. 
   Before you set up a quote based off of commercial aircraft, you must make sure that the shipper, consignee or third party is a known shipper. If not, you can only quote using cargo aircraft or trucks. Always confirm if airfreight or ocean freight.
   

2. 
   How to calculate GP%
   
   1. 
      Once you have all this information you are able to move forward with your quote in order to do so you now need to figure out your cost. Cost includes pickup, delivery, and carrier charge or overseas charges in case it is a DDP or DDU move. Carriers are broken into to groups Airlines and trucks. Once you have the total amount of all costs you then need to check the SOP of the acct to get the profit margin you will mark the shipment up. If there is nothing in the SOP then the general GP % SGL requires on international moves is usually 25%. Please note that this is also based after profit share given to the overseas agent.
      

1. 
   How to figure our accesorials such as handling, airport transfer as well destination charges overseas , it is best to check the agent’s tariff or contact them. For a quick reference the following is the average for these services:
   

Terminal Fee USD 75.00

Import Handling USD 50.00

Delivery USD 20.00 (min) or $ 0.20/kilo

Messenger USD 15.00

Bond USD 50.00/Min or $ 5.00/USD1,000.00 value

Pier Pass at cost

Recovery $ 20.00/Min or $ 0.20/kilo
FCL

Drayage 20’ USD 295.00 Drayage 40’ USD 325.00

2. 
   Declared value and Insured value will auto cost when you enter the info in the system so you will not have to figure out these costs.
   

• 
  Fuel and Security surcharges are automatically added to all quotes. So if you included the fuel and security charge of the airline or trucking company when calculating the percent, you need to back it out to give the customer a fair rate. Since the market keep changing, and varies by carrier, confirm your cost for these items.
  

3. 
   How to determine the best Routing
   

1. 
   Distance from airport- Will you be able to make cut off for airline or freighter service you want to use? Will special be required?
   
2. 
   Freight ready time- Will the freight is available to make the cutoff for a freighter or commercial flight or will counter be a better option?
   
3. 
   Available commercial airline space- Space on commercial flights is limited and some flights can not accommodate larger shipments. Large shipments being a piece over 300lbs, any one dimension over 60 inches or having two dimensions over 40 inches. This type of freight can not fit on a narrow body aircraft. It needs a wide body or freight service if available.
   
4. 
   Destination city- Does the flight arrive on time to make service requested? Is a special delivery need to make service?
   
5. 
   Consistency look to see who we have used to a location did shipment make are they reliable. Just remember even the most reliable carrier has trouble during peek seasons such as Christmas season. Weather can also be a factor. It is always best to make sure you have availability before moving forward with quote.
   

3. 
   Follow up
   

1. 
   AIRFREIGHT
   

• 
  PCSxLxWxH= cu inches.
  

$1010/. 7=$1.57

The difference between BUY rate and SELL rate is GROSS PROFIT. In this instance our GP is $ 653.12 less $457.60 = $ 195.52 only the airfreight charges.

There is always a handling charge of $ 25.00 on all airfreight shipments.