Air Chartering Explained: A Critical Component of Global Supply Chains
Welcome to the world of air chartering, where this highly specialized and often misunderstood craft has quietly become a highly valued and strategic part of the global supply chain. Once viewed as a last-choice alternative, chartering is enjoying a status upgrade from an “in-case-of-emergency-break-glass” proposition to a mainstream component of every logistics company’s portfolio.
By its own accomplishments and capabilities, air chartering has frequently been the lead player in saving lives on a world stage or saving production lines that fuel our global economy. Dramatics aside, cargo chartering’s core mission is quite basic. In simple terms, an “Air Charter” is defined as securing an airplane and crew to move a specific consignment (or passenger(s)) from one location to another. Sound simple enough? Not so fast, like any intricate undertaking, air chartering comes with its own set of complex and sophisticated ground rules and mandates experience, diligence and a healthy dose of practical expertise to make it a success.
Mastering Air Charter: Simplify Complex Logistics with the Right Broker
Like many sophisticated business streams, it can be difficult to draw juxtaposition between chartering and its distant relative in the scheduled end of the house. Unlike commercial airfreight products, which are typically standardized in pricing, service and even packaging, air charter construction can be frustratingly complicated. These are projects that carry heavy responsibility, big expectations and even bigger price tags with implications that are loaded with exclusions, variables and unknowns.
While this may be a daunting preview to the world of chartering, there are many steps that the experienced freight forwarder/shipper can do ensure the deck is stacked in their favor when planning a chartering project. This generally mandates locating an experienced, reputable and highly qualified broker that can turn the projects rough concepts into hard realities, predictable timelines and contained costs.
The Role of Modern Air Charter Brokers: Your Key to Seamless Flight Coordination
The charter broker wears many hats and acts as the agent for the charterer. They represent the charterer’s interests and act as a flight coordinator to both get the project off the ground and ensure it runs to a happy conclusion. Their work starts at the initial planning stages of a flight and continues his/her involvement through the conclusion of the mission.
Air Charter Brokers have been around for decades, yet they’ve thankfully progressed light-years in their evolution, professionalism and structure. Gone are the days when genuine (and more than a few hopeful) brokers plied their trade from a recliner or while behind the wheel of a golf cart. Sophistication in chartering has largely made their types extinct and today’s brokers understand they must constantly adapt to an ever-changing environment.
What Makes a Great Charter Broker: Experience, Creativity, and Innovation
So, what makes a truly great broker? By an overwhelming measure, experience is the first priority. Charters are complicated and their relatively rare incident of duplicity mandates that the broker both understands the project and has the practical knowhow (and yes, common sense) to ensure their customers’ movement doesn’t end up in the emergency room. A skilled broker is typically a well-rounded specialist with many skill sets, thus allowing them to stave off unanticipated problems while saving the shipper considerable headaches—and money.
If experience is the ying, then creativity is the yang. For a savvy broker, “thinking outside the box” isn’t an overused corporate catchphrase: it’s as essential as breathing air. The unfortunate broker who thinks in two dimensional “A-B” solutions will soon find their phones quiet while their competitors who can build the right combinations will be in heavy demand. The exceptionally qualified broker takes this a step further and understands that innovation, multi-dimensional thinking and critical analysis are skills that are considered essential in today’s market.
Why You Need a Charter Broker: Avoid Costly Mistakes and Delays
So, do you need a charter broker? In the days of the internet delivering us seemingly endless expertise at the click of a mouse, it may be easy to dismiss the need for a specialist and attempt to act as one’s own dentist—or the equivalent in chartering. And while this comparison may not seem adept to this situation, one would logically not attempt to perform a root canal procedure without an understanding of the risks, dangers and hidden traps. As mentioned earlier, chartering can be a literal minefield of sticky situations. These can range from out-of-control costs to expensive mistakes, to unrealized contractual obligations. Besides, who really has time to research the internet extensively for reliable charter- and ancillary service providers when a production line is about to shut down or people’s lives are at stake? One single call to a charter broker will avoid potentially catastrophic delays in response time.
Let’s be straight on this: charters can be complicated and the unanticipated can become today’s reality in a hurry. Planes break down, experience bad weather, incur delays and do other unpredictable things that can elevate everyone’s blood pressure. And aside from the equipment not behaving, charters are very routinely routed to locations where you would never, ever consider going on vacation. And while not even the most seasoned broker can promise a charter free from unanticipated adventure, an experienced partner can both foresee danger around the corner and have the ability and experience to get the project back on track.
The Key Benefits of Partnering with an Experienced Charter Broker
Perhaps the most undervalued asset of an experienced charter broker is their ability to literally integrate their expertise into a Logistics Providers operations chain. Teaming up with an experienced charter broker can make very noteworthy increases and diversity to a transportation specialists offering. Few providers process enough recurring charter business to maintain an in-house charter broker department, and even the ones that do very well realize that using a dedicated outsourced broker can provide added value.
Small, medium or large sized, what counts in the end is the broker’s experience, creativity, expertise, their resources alongside globe spanning relationships and most importantly their integrity and trustworthiness. No matter how the air cargo environment changes, there will always be the need for a specialist that can be consulted in complex situations. The Charter Broker trade is one of these specialist niches that have a bright future.
Ready to Streamline Your Air Freight Needs?
At The Charter Store, we specialize in providing reliable, efficient air charter solutions tailored to your unique logistics challenges. Whether you need urgent freight movement or a custom charter solution, we’re here to help you every step of the way. Contact us today to get started!
For Urgent Charter Requests Contact our 24/7 Ops Team:
Email: Cargo@TheCharterStore.com
Call: 800-805-JETS (5387)
For Further General Service Information Contact:
Email: Sales@TheCharterStore.com
Phone: 734-731-5456 or 954-713-9363
Let us handle the complexity, so you can focus on what matters most.