Air Freight Pricing Explained: Surcharges, Dim Weight, Cutoffs

Air freight is often the fastest way to move inventory across borders, but it is also one of the easiest modes to misquote. Two “similar” shipments can price very differently once you factor in chargeable weight rules, lane-specific surcharges, and the reality of airport cutoffs.

This guide breaks down air freight pricing the way operators and procurement teams evaluate it: what’s in the linehaul rate, what sits around it, and where cutoffs quietly create the biggest surprises.

What an air freight quote is really made of

Most air freight quotes can be understood in four layers:

• Chargeable weight (how the airline will bill the shipment)

• Base airfreight rate (the per-kg rate for the lane and service level)

• Surcharges (carrier and security related add-ons, often variable)

• Origin and destination accessorials (handling, pickup/delivery, storage, customs-related tasks, special handling)

When shippers feel “air freight is unpredictable,” it is usually because one of those layers is missing from the quote, or because a cutoff failure forces a re-work of the shipment (re-screening, storage, rebooking, premium trucking).

Dim weight (dimensional weight) and why it changes the bill

Airlines sell space and weight at the same time. That is why they use chargeable weight, which is typically the greater of:

• Gross weight (what the shipment physically weighs)

• Dimensional weight (what the shipment “weighs” based on its volume)

If your cartons are light but bulky (typical for consumer goods, packaged textiles, display materials, some medical devices), dim weight can dominate the invoice even when the gross weight looks small.

The “density” concept that explains dim weight in plain English

Dim weight pricing rewards dense freight and penalizes low-density freight. Two shipments can both be 200 kg gross, but the one that takes more cubic space can be billed at 350 kg chargeable.

Practical implications:

• Carton size decisions are pricing decisions. Extra void fill can raise the invoice.

• Palletization decisions matter. Overhanging cartons, tall stacks, or oversized skids can increase volume.

• Remeasurement is common. Many providers and airlines reweigh and remeasure cargo at acceptance.

If you need the exact formulas and divisors carriers use, SHIPIT has a dedicated walkthrough here: How to calculate chargeable weight for air freight shipments.

Base airfreight rate: what drives the “per kg” number

The base airfreight rate is the part most teams focus on first, but it is only one piece.

Common drivers of the base rate include:

• Lane and gateway pairing: Major airport pairs tend to be more competitive than niche gateways.

• Service level: Next-flight-out, deferred, and economy products price differently.

• Direct vs. connecting routings: Transshipment risk and handling can change cost.

• Capacity seasonality: Rates respond to passenger belly capacity, freighter availability, and peak cycles.

• Commodity and handling requirements: Temperature control, dangerous goods, or high-value protocols can move the shipment into a different cost band.

A good quoting process ties the base rate to a clear assumption set: route, flight schedule expectations, and cutoffs.

Air freight surcharges explained (and which ones surprise shippers)

Surcharges are where “apples-to-apples” comparisons break down. Some are billed by the airline, some by regulated screening parties, and some by warehouses or terminals.

Here is a practical map of common surcharge categories.

Surcharge category	What it covers	How it’s typically applied	When it spikes or changes
Fuel-related surcharge	Carrier fuel cost exposure (varies by carrier and program)	Per kg, sometimes with minimums	Rapid oil price moves, capacity shifts, carrier updates
Security and screening	Screening requirements and secure chain-of-custody processes	Per kg or per shipment	Higher-risk routing, tighter screening capacity, late tender leading to re-screening
Handling and terminal fees	Acceptance, build/break, warehouse handling, equipment use	Per shipment, per kg, or per piece	Oversize pieces, off-hours, special equipment, congestion
Peak or demand surcharges	Capacity scarcity pricing	Per kg	Holiday peaks, urgent modal shifts from ocean to air
DG or special commodity fees	Dangerous goods checks, documentation, segregation	Per shipment and/or per piece	Hazmat classifications, packaging nonconformance
Temperature-controlled or pharma handling	Cold chain facilities and monitoring	Per shipment, plus potential storage	Tight cool-chain capacity, missed handoffs
Oversize/OOG handling	Non-standard dimensions, awkward pieces	Per piece plus handling	Large crates, long skids, non-stackable freight
Documentation-related fees	AWB processing, amendments, manual work	Per document or per event	Late changes, corrections, missing data

Two notes that prevent disputes:

1. Ask whether surcharges are “all-in” or pass-through. Some quotes bundle, others itemize.

2. Ask what has a minimum charge. Minimums can dominate small shipments.

Accessorials: the charges around the airport that add up fast

A lot of air freight spend is not “air” at all. It is the work required to make the shipment flight-ready and then deliver it after arrival.

Typical accessorials include:

• Pickup and delivery (P&D): Trucking from shipper to origin facility, and from destination facility to consignee

• Airport transfer/bonded trucking: Moving cargo between screening sites, forwarder facilities, and the airport

• Warehouse services: Palletizing, labeling, overpacking, kitting, staging, or short-term storage

• Storage: Charged when cargo sits past free time because of missed cutoffs, holds, or consignee delays

• Customs-related coordination: Not always a “brokerage fee” in the quote, but often a real operational cost

• Insurance: Optional, but worth evaluating for high-value air shipments

If your shipment plan includes a handoff between modes (for example, importing by air into the U.S. and then moving freight to a regional DC), warehousing and transloading decisions can materially affect the total landed cost, not just the transportation line.

Cutoffs: the hidden lever that turns regular air into premium air

“Cutoff” means the deadline by which a task must be completed for cargo to move on the intended flight. Miss it and you often pay twice: once in direct fees, and once in delay-driven costs.

Common air freight cutoffs you should plan around

Cutoffs vary by airport, airline, warehouse, and screening pathway, but they usually fall into these buckets:

Cutoff type	What must be done by the cutoff	What happens if you miss it
Cargo receiving cutoff	Freight must be physically tendered and accepted	Cargo rolls to a later flight, storage may start accruing
Documentation cutoff	Air waybill details and required docs must be correct and submitted	Holds, rework fees, missed flight closeout
Screening cutoff	Cargo must be screened and secured in time for build-up	Re-screening, missed uplift, extra handling
Build-up/ULD cutoff	Cargo must be ready for unitization (pallet/container build)	Missed load plan, rebooking, potential premium routing
Trucking appointment cutoff	Dray/pickup appointment windows for airport facilities	Driver wait time, redelivery fees, rescheduling

Cutoffs also interact with compliance and shipper readiness. For example, late cargo with incomplete data triggers more manual intervention, which increases the chance of holds and chargeable events.

SHIPIT’s broader planning framework is worth using here: Freight transport planning: routes, capacity, and cutoffs.

The most expensive cutoff failures (real-world patterns)

In practice, the biggest cost spikes come from three patterns:

• Late tender + low-density cargo: Dim weight already hurts, and late tender reduces consolidation options.

• Doc errors discovered at acceptance: Corrections can push cargo past screening or build cutoffs.

• Pickup variability: If your trucking leg is unreliable, the shipment becomes a same-day scramble.

This is where an end-to-end provider can reduce risk: when the same operator coordinates pickup, warehouse handling, screening readiness, booking, and airport transfer, there are fewer handoffs and fewer “not my scope” moments.

How to compare air freight quotes (without getting burned later)

When you request quotes, the goal is not just the lowest “per kg,” it is the lowest total cost to deliver on time.

Use this checklist to normalize competing quotes:

• Weight and dimensions: Provide piece count, dimensions per piece, and gross weight. Confirm how rounding is handled.

• Commodity profile: Include HS description at a high level, hazmat status, battery content, temperature needs, and value if relevant for risk.

• Service level and routing: Specify required delivery date and whether transshipment is acceptable.

• Scope clarity: Confirm if the quote is airport-to-airport, door-to-airport, airport-to-door, or door-to-door.

• Surcharge transparency: Ask for a list of surcharges included vs excluded, and what is variable.

• Cutoff assumptions: Ask what receiving cutoff the quote assumes, and what happens if you miss it.

• Minimums and special fees: Confirm minimum charges, oversize thresholds, and special handling triggers.

If you are shipping from the U.S., security status can also affect routing and time. SHIPIT has a clear explainer on that topic: TSA’s Known Shipper Program for Air Cargo.

Practical ways to lower air freight cost without sacrificing reliability

Improve density before you negotiate rates

Rate negotiations go further when the shipment is physically optimized.

Examples of high-impact changes:

• Redesign cartons to remove void space

• Standardize master carton sizes so pallets cube out cleanly

• Avoid non-stackable packaging unless necessary

• Use pallets and skids that match warehouse and aircraft handling norms

Use consolidation and smart staging

For teams shipping multiple POs per week, consolidation can reduce minimum charges and handling touches.

If you also operate in ocean freight, consider using transloading and staging to control cost across modes. For example:

• Ocean freight into a U.S. gateway, transload to domestic truckload for distribution

• Selectively “pull forward” high-velocity SKUs by air while the rest move by ocean

This is especially effective when your provider can support warehousing and transloading as part of the network, not as an afterthought. (If you want the operational distinction, see: When to use transloading or cross docking services.)

Treat cutoffs like contractual requirements

If you routinely miss cutoffs, your organization is effectively buying premium freight while expecting standard pricing.

Operational fixes that reduce premium events:

• Backward-plan from flight departure, not from “pickup day”

• Set internal doc deadlines that are earlier than forwarder cutoffs

• Build a repeatable SOP for labeling, packing list formats, and shipment data

Protect the shipment’s financial outcome

Fast freight still needs risk planning. If the cargo value is high, or the shipment is business-critical, review your coverage and claims process. SHIPIT’s reference guide is a good starting point: A comprehensive guide to cargo insurance.

Documentation discipline: it helps with billing disputes, claims, and exceptions

To audit an air freight invoice (or challenge a surprise fee), you typically need:

• Air waybill (AWB) details

• Weight and measure records (including reweigh/remeasure notices if any)

• Screening and handoff confirmations when applicable

• Pickup and delivery proof (timestamps matter)

• Storage start times and free-time terms

If your company’s legal team gets involved in cargo claims or contractual disputes, organizing those files quickly is often the bottleneck. Some teams use tools such as TrialBase AI for litigation document drafting to turn case files into structured summaries and demand letters faster, which can be useful once a claim escalates beyond routine operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between gross weight and dim weight in air freight? Gross weight is what the cargo physically weighs. Dim weight is a billed weight based on the cargo’s volume. Airlines typically charge whichever is higher (the chargeable weight).

Are fuel surcharges always included in an air freight quote? Not always. Some quotes are all-in, while others list fuel as a variable pass-through that updates periodically. Always ask what is included and what can change after booking.

What are air freight cutoffs and why do they matter? Cutoffs are deadlines for tendering cargo, completing screening, and submitting correct documentation so the shipment can move on a specific flight. Missing a cutoff can cause rollovers, storage fees, re-screening, and premium rebooking.

Why do two forwarders quote different totals for the same air shipment? Differences usually come from (1) different chargeable weight assumptions, (2) what surcharges and accessorials are included, (3) routing and capacity choices, and (4) cutoff and handling assumptions at origin and destination.

How can I reduce air freight costs without slowing down shipments? Focus on improving density (packaging), consolidating shipments to reduce minimums, planning backward from cutoffs, and reducing rework from documentation errors.

Need an air freight quote that won’t change after tender?

SHIPIT Logistics has supported global shippers since 1974 with coordinated air freight, pickup and delivery, warehousing, transloading, and multimodal planning. If you want a quote built on clear chargeable-weight assumptions, transparent surcharge treatment, and realistic cutoff planning, start here: SHIPIT Logistics.