Air Freight — Qeep Logistics freight service
Air Desk · NFO, express & charter

Air Freight.
When hours decide the outcome.

Airport-to-airport and door-to-door air cargo when speed wins — standard, express and next-flight-out, plus charter for outsized or AOG-critical freight.

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NFO · Express · Standard
Service
1-5 days door
Speed
DG · perishable · AOG
Handles
To the door
Tracking
Overview

When the cost of being late is higher than the cost of flying.

Air freight is the fastest way to move cargo internationally — days instead of weeks — at a premium price per kilo. It earns its cost for high-value, time-critical, perishable or emergency shipments where a missed deadline costs far more than the freight. Qeep books through a network of airline and consolidator partners across standard, express and next-flight-out (NFO) service levels, and coordinates charters for outsized cargo or AOG (aircraft-on-ground) situations. We handle origin pickup, export and import customs, security screening and dangerous-goods documentation, and final-mile delivery — booked, tendered and tracked from one desk with live status all the way to the door.

Air Freight freight in motion — Qeep Logistics

When the deadline is the cargo — standard to next-flight-out.

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How it works

From quote to POD, step by step.

1

Quote & service level

We confirm dimensions, weight, commodity and deadline, then quote the right service level — standard, express or next-flight-out — with the routing and ETA.

2

Pickup & export

Origin pickup, export customs, security screening and any dangerous-goods declarations and packaging, then tender to the airline ahead of the flight cut-off.

3

In transit

Flight departure, transshipment and arrival are tracked by air waybill, with proactive updates and re-booking if a connection is at risk.

4

Import & delivery

Import customs clearance, terminal release and final-mile delivery to the door, with proof of delivery closing the file.

Equipment & specifications

Pick the right trailer for the job.

Equipment

Bellyhold (passenger aircraft)

Cargo in the lower deck of scheduled passenger flights — the widest route network and most frequent departures, limited to door-height pieces

Equipment

Main-deck freighter

Dedicated cargo aircraft — takes taller and heavier pieces than bellyhold, the usual answer for pallets that won’t fit a passenger hold

Equipment

ULD containers & pallets

Unit load devices (AKE/LD3 containers, 88″ × 125″ and 96″ × 125″ pallets) that let cargo be built up once and loaded as a unit

Equipment

Temperature-controlled & active containers

Passive thermal covers and active powered containers for pharma, biologics and perishables that must hold a range door-to-door

Equipment

Charter

A whole aircraft on your schedule — for outsized cargo, AOG recoveries, project moves and volumes that won’t clear on scheduled capacity

Pricing

What drives the rate?

Transparent inputs, not mystery margins. Here’s exactly what goes into a air freight quote.

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Chargeable weight
Air is priced on the greater of actual or volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000), so low-density cargo can cost more than it weighs.
Service level
Next-flight-out and express command a premium over standard consolidated air; we right-size the level to the real deadline.
Lane & capacity
Rates move with bellyhold and freighter capacity, fuel and peak season; we hold multiple carrier options.
Special handling
Dangerous goods, temperature control, security screening and charter all add cost — and all are coordinated in-house.
Compare

Air vs ocean — picking the right international mode

FactorAir FreightOcean Freight
Transit time1-5 days door-to-door2-6 weeks door-to-door
CostHighest per kgLowest per kg
Best forUrgent, high-value, perishableVolume, heavy, non-urgent
Priced onChargeable (volumetric) weightContainer (FCL) or weight/volume (LCL)
Frequently asked

Air Freight questions, answered.

How is air freight priced?
On chargeable weight — the greater of the actual weight and the volumetric (dimensional) weight, calculated as length × width × height in cm ÷ 6000. That means bulky, lightweight cargo can be priced higher than its scale weight, so accurate dimensions matter for an accurate quote.
What is next-flight-out (NFO)?
NFO is the fastest air service — your shipment is booked on the very next available flight with the shortest routing, hand-carried through handoffs where needed. It’s used for AOG, production-down and other emergencies where every hour counts.
Can you ship dangerous goods by air?
Yes, within IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. DG must be declared in advance with correct classification, packaging, marking, labelling and a Shipper’s Declaration. Tell us the UN number and class and we’ll confirm what’s acceptable and handle the documentation.
Do you handle customs and door delivery for air?
Yes — door-to-door air includes origin pickup, export clearance, screening, import clearance at destination and final-mile delivery. You get the air waybill plus one consolidated file rather than separate vendors at each step.
When does air make more sense than ocean?
When the deadline, value or shelf life makes speed worth the premium — emergency parts, pharma and perishables, samples, or any shipment where the cost of arriving weeks later exceeds the higher freight cost. For planned, high-volume freight, ocean is almost always cheaper.
What is an air waybill and how is it different from an ocean bill of lading?
The air waybill (AWB) is the contract of carriage for an air shipment and your tracking number — the 11-digit reference that follows the freight from tender to delivery. Unlike an original ocean bill of lading, an AWB is not a document of title: it is non-negotiable, so the cargo is released to the named consignee rather than to whoever holds the paper. That makes air handoffs faster, but it also means the consignee on the AWB must be correct at booking, because changing it mid-flight is slow.
How much lead time does an air booking need?
Less than you would think, and more than most people leave. Standard consolidated air usually wants the cargo at the airport 4-6 hours before flight cut-off for build-up and screening; express is tighter; next-flight-out can move in under two hours if the paperwork is already clean. What actually drives the timeline is documentation and screening — dangerous goods, pharma and anything needing an export permit should be declared a day or more ahead so nothing gets pulled at the cut-off.
Is air freight insured, and should I add cargo insurance?
Airline liability is capped by the Montreal Convention at roughly 22 SDR per kilogram (a few hundred dollars for a typical piece) regardless of what the cargo is worth. For high-value freight that cap is nowhere near the replacement cost, so all-risk cargo insurance covering the declared commercial value is worth the small premium. We can arrange it at booking and it typically costs a fraction of a percent of the invoice value.
Where you ship from

Rates and transit times change by market.

What a lane costs and how long it takes depends on the terminals, ramps and crossings at each end. Pick your market for the local detail.

All locations
You may also need

One file. Multiple services. Same team.

Ocean Freight

FCL and LCL ocean freight worldwide — port-to-port or full door-to-door with customs and drayage handled.

Customs Brokerage

Customs entries filed by licensed brokers on both sides of the border — CBSA and CBP — with classification, duty and CARM handled for you.

China to Canada

Door-to-door ocean and air freight from China to Canada — FCL, LCL, air, customs clearance and final-mile delivery.

Let’s move it

Have a shipment? Get rates in 10 min.

Tell us the origin, destination and mode. A Qeep specialist replies within 10 minutes with live capacity, lane price, and a transit window you can actually plan around.

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