The air cargo booking procedure runs in a fixed order: collect the shipment’s weight, dimensions, commodity description, and origin/destination airport codes; assemble the required documents; request quotes from carriers or freight forwarders; submit a reservation through the carrier’s online portal or via Electronic Data Interchange; receive a booking confirmation tied to a specific flight; and deliver the labeled freight to the terminal before the acceptance cutoff. International shipments add customs paperwork and, in most cases, a licensed broker. Everything else, including how much you pay and whether your cargo actually flies on the date you booked, depends on how accurately you handle those steps.
What to Have Ready Before You Book
Four categories of information have to be locked down before you contact anyone for a quote.
Weight. You need both gross weight (goods plus packaging) and net weight (goods alone). Carriers use gross weight for loading calculations; customs authorities require net weight on certain documents. Weigh on a calibrated scale. Estimates get you re-rated or rejected when the carrier reweighs at the terminal.
Dimensions. Measure length, width, and height of every piece. Airlines charge on the greater of actual weight or volumetric weight, and the standard conversion divides total cubic inches by 166 (or cubic centimeters by 6,000). A carton at 40 × 30 × 20 inches works out to 24,000 cubic inches, or roughly 145 pounds of volumetric weight. If it actually weighs 80 pounds, you pay for 145.
Commodity description. General cargo like clothing or electronics books easily. Perishable, temperature-sensitive, high-value, or hazardous goods trigger special handling and extra paperwork. If you are not sure whether your goods fall into a regulated category, ask your forwarder before you book, not after.
Airport codes. Identify origin and destination using the three-letter IATA location codes (LAX for Los Angeles, FRA for Frankfurt). These are the universal identifiers on every booking system and every document.1IATA. IATA Airline and Location Codes
One physical constraint worth flagging up front: aircraft cargo doors set hard limits. Passenger belly holds accept smaller pieces than dedicated freighters. If any single piece runs longer than about 3 meters or taller than 2.4 meters, your forwarder needs to pre-check the routing so the right ground equipment is available at every stop.
The Booking Steps
With the data in hand, the sequence is predictable.
Request quotes. Contact one or more carriers or freight forwarders. Provide origin, destination, commodity description, total weight, dimensions, and any special handling needs. The quote returns a base freight rate plus surcharges. Don’t compare on the base rate alone. Surcharges often make up a substantial share of the total.
Submit the reservation. Once you accept a quote, log into the carrier’s online booking portal or send the reservation through EDI. The system asks for the AWB number, piece count, weight, dimensions, commodity code, and flight preference. You pick a flight based on your delivery timeline and available capacity.
Get the booking confirmation. If the data validates and space is available, the system issues a confirmation number. That confirmation is your proof the carrier has allocated space on a specific flight date. Print it, save it, and reference it when you deliver cargo to the terminal.
Accuracy at reservation is not optional. If the weight or dimensions on your booking do not match what shows up at the warehouse scale, the carrier can reject the shipment or reclassify it at a higher rate. Data mismatches are the most common reason freight gets bumped from its booked flight.
Documents That Travel With the Shipment
Air cargo moves on paper as much as it moves on aircraft. Missing or inaccurate documents stall shipments at the terminal or at customs.
Air Waybill
The air waybill is the central document. It serves as a non-negotiable receipt confirming the carrier accepted your goods and as the contract of carriage. Every AWB includes shipper and consignee details, a goods description, piece count and weight, and the agreed freight charges. Carriers issue AWBs electronically through their booking platforms or accept them through EDI from forwarders operating under IATA Resolution 600a. The shipper is responsible for the accuracy of every entry.
Commercial Invoice and Packing List
A commercial invoice states the transaction value, describes the goods, and lists the Harmonized System codes customs authorities use to classify products and assess duties.2International Trade Administration. Harmonized System (HS) Codes A wrong HS code can trigger the wrong duty rate or flag the shipment for inspection. A packing list breaks down what is inside each box or crate, with individual weights and quantities, so customs agents can verify contents without opening every package.
Shipper’s Letter of Instruction
A Shipper’s Letter of Instruction authorizes your freight forwarder to act on your behalf for transportation, documentation, and export filing.3Export-Import Bank of the United States. What is the Shipper’s Letter of Instruction In some countries the SLI functions as a limited power of attorney. Review the forwarder’s track record before signing one.
Electronic Export Information
For shipments leaving the United States, you must file Electronic Export Information through the Automated Export System when goods under any single Schedule B classification exceed $2,500, or when an export license is required regardless of value.4U.S. Customs and Border Protection. How to Submit an Electronic Export Information The SLI usually conveys the data your forwarder needs to file the EEI for you. Failing to file when required draws penalties and delays.
Dangerous Goods Declaration
Hazardous materials, including common items like lithium batteries, dry ice, and certain chemicals, require a Shipper’s Declaration for Dangerous Goods. The form demands the proper shipping name, UN identification number, hazard class, packing group, and quantity for every regulated item.5International Air Transport Association. Shipper’s Declaration for Dangerous Goods Two signed copies must accompany the cargo. Violations of hazardous materials rules carry civil penalties up to $102,348 per violation under current federal enforcement, and up to $238,809 when a violation results in death, serious injury, or major property damage.6Federal Register. Revisions to Civil Penalty Amounts, 2025
Costs Beyond the Base Rate
The base freight rate on your quote is rarely what you actually pay. Surcharges reflect the carrier’s variable operating costs and can shift the ranking of competing quotes.
- Fuel surcharge (FSC): the largest add-on, adjusted weekly against jet fuel spot prices. Major carriers charged express air freight fuel surcharges in the range of 35–40% of the base rate in early 2026.7FedEx. Fuel Surcharges
- Security surcharge (SSC): covers physical inspection, document verification, and party screening required to meet federal security mandates.
- Screening surcharge (XRC): a separate charge reimbursing the certified facility that X-rays or physically inspects cargo before it loads onto a passenger aircraft.
- EDI surcharge: a flat per-AWB fee covering electronic data transmission.
- Terminal handling charge: receiving, storing, and loading at origin; unloading at destination.
War risk surcharges, route-specific fees, and charges correction fees (for fixing paperwork errors after submission) may also appear. Ask for a fully broken-out quote.
Security Screening and Known Shipper Status
Federal law requires 100% of cargo loaded onto passenger aircraft in the United States to be screened to the same security standard as checked passenger baggage.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 44901 – Screening Passengers and Property Methods include X-ray, explosives detection, canine teams, or physical search with manifest verification. TSA oversees the process through its Certified Cargo Screening Program, which allows approved facilities to screen freight before it reaches the airline terminal.9Transportation Security Administration. Cargo Programs
If you ship air cargo regularly, becoming a TSA Known Shipper streamlines the process. Known Shipper cargo is separated from unknown-shipper freight and may qualify for expedited screening. You apply through an indirect air carrier, which submits your company information to the TSA’s Known Shipper Management System. TSA uses third-party databases to verify financial history and legitimacy, then assesses each applicant individually.10eCFR. 49 CFR Part 1548 – Indirect Air Carrier Security
A few practical points catch shippers off guard. Status must be renewed annually. If your business moves to a new address, status is revoked until you reapply. New businesses without an established financial track record are sometimes rejected on the initial application. Once approved, you get a unique identification number that must be referenced during shipping.
Customs Clearance for International Shipments
Cargo crossing an international border must clear customs at the destination, and often at origin as well. Most importers hire a licensed customs broker. To authorize one, you sign a power of attorney that includes your company name, tax identification number, the jurisdiction where your business operates, and an authorized officer’s signature. The broker files entry documents, pays duties, and communicates with customs on your behalf.
For goods entering the United States, you also need a customs bond. A continuous bond covers all your import activity for a full year and makes sense if you ship more than a few times annually. The minimum is typically $50,000 or 10% of your prior year’s total duties, taxes, and fees, whichever is greater. Customs and Border Protection can require higher amounts based on compliance history or product risk profile.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 19 USC 1623 – Bonds and Other Security Single-entry bonds are available for occasional imports but cost more per shipment.
Build clearance time into your delivery estimate. Even with perfect paperwork, clearance can take one to several business days depending on the destination country, the commodity, and whether the shipment is pulled for physical inspection.
Liability Limits and Cargo Insurance
The Montreal Convention caps a carrier’s liability for lost, damaged, or delayed cargo. The original 1999 limit was 17 Special Drawing Rights per kilogram, roughly $23.12Congress.gov. Treaty Document 106-45 – Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air ICAO has announced an increase from 22 SDR to 26 SDR per kilogram, approximately $35.13ICAO. International Air Travel Liability Limits Set to Increase
To put that in perspective: ship 100 kilograms of electronics worth $50,000, lose the shipment, and the maximum you would recover under the Convention is around $3,500. Cargo insurance fills that gap.
All-risk cargo insurance covers most causes of loss during transit, but standard exclusions typically include war, strikes, losses from delays, customs rejection, inherent defects, and damage caused by improper packaging. That last one matters. If the insurer determines your goods were inadequately packed, the claim gets denied. Invest in proper crating and cushioning, and document your packing process with photos.
You can also declare a higher value on the AWB at booking through a special declaration of interest in delivery, which raises the carrier’s liability ceiling to the declared amount. The carrier charges a supplementary fee. For high-value shipments, compare that fee against a standalone cargo insurance policy. Insurance is often cheaper and covers more scenarios.
Delivering to the Terminal and Tracking
Once your booking is confirmed, coordinate the physical delivery of freight to the airline’s cargo terminal or the forwarder’s warehouse. Most terminals set a cargo acceptance cutoff several hours before scheduled flight departure. Miss the cutoff and your freight rolls to the next available flight.
Every piece must be labeled with the AWB number and destination airport code in clear, legible markings. Hazardous cargo gets the appropriate hazard labels and placards on the exterior of each package. Illegible or missing labels are a common reason freight is held at the terminal rather than loaded.
At the warehouse, your cargo is weighed, measured, and screened before being built into Unit Load Devices, the standardized containers and pallets that fit aircraft cargo holds. Your forwarder handles ULD selection and buildup. You just need to pack to dimensions compatible with the relevant container type.
After departure, track the shipment using the AWB number on the carrier’s website. Milestones progress from Received at origin, to Departed on the flight, to Arrived at destination, and finally Delivered or Available for Pickup. Monitoring the updates lets the consignee coordinate customs clearance and local delivery so there is no idle time, and no storage charges, at the destination airport.