The term Freight Forwarders is at times used very loosely compared to the scope of work they actually do in terms of handling the cargo.

• They are the bridge between various activities such as transportation, custom clearance, freight booking, other ancillary services such as Insurance, Fumigation, Palletization, Embassy related paperwork etc. Due to the varied scope of work involved it requires a specialized category of people who can analyse the requirements of the customer and assemble all these activities in such a manner that the customer gets everything he desires under one roof.

• There are very few airlines & shipping lines globally (not more than 100 combined) but there are hundreds of thousands of Freight Forwarders globally because it is a field which requires optimum attention and effort. And as a result some Freight Forwarding Companies are even bigger in terms of volumes & profitability compared to many airlines & shipping lines put together.

• All Freight Forwarders have global presence either in terms of having their own offices worldwide or having a web of agency networks. Either ways the customer benefits a lot because of this.

• Air Cargo Agents are Freight Forwarders who specialize in Air Freight booking. They can be IATA agents as well as sub-agents. Air Cargo Agents deal with airlines and secures Air freight rates for their customers. Unlike Shipping rates where a customer can directly approach a Shipping company to secure rates, the same is not the case with the Airline industry. Airline companies issue booking to IATA agents only who in turn does booking for sub-agents and customers.

Please contact Stellar Air & Surface Transport LLP for better understanding of Freight Forwarding Services as they are in this business from past 20 years and can guide you to get the best rates and services across 200 countries worldwide.