An air freight quote typically looks shorter than an ocean quote — fewer line items overall — but nearly every one of those lines is calculated against the same figure: chargeable weight. Miscalculate that figure, or misunderstand which surcharges apply to it, and the total on the invoice stops matching the number you budgeted for.
This guide breaks down what each line item on an air freight quote actually covers, who charges it, and which parts of the quote are worth pushing back on before you book.
What are the three sections of an air freight quote?
Like most freight quotes, an air quote splits into origin, freight, and destination charges. Origin covers getting the cargo to the airport of departure and export formalities. The freight section is the core air charge — priced per chargeable kilogram. Destination covers import formalities, customs brokerage, and final delivery.
The structure is the same idea as an ocean quote, but the freight section is priced per chargeable kilogram rather than per container or per CBM, and transit is measured in days rather than weeks. Always check which sections a quote actually includes — a quote that only shows the freight section without origin or destination charges isn't cheaper, it's incomplete.
Why almost every charge depends on chargeable weight
Airlines bill against chargeable weight — the greater of a shipment's actual weight and its volumetric weight, calculated from carton or pallet dimensions. Bulky, lightweight cargo is billed on volume rather than the number on a scale. Because the main per-kilogram charges on an air quote all multiply against this one figure, getting it wrong at quoting stage throws off the entire total, not just one line.
Use the free cargo calculator to work out your chargeable weight from carton or pallet dimensions before you request quotes — it computes CBM, gross weight, and chargeable weight so you can sanity-check what a forwarder is billing you against.
Origin charges
These are the costs of getting cargo from the shipper's door to the departing aircraft.
TRK — Origin trucking/drayage. Moving cargo from the shipper's warehouse to the origin airport or air freight forwarder's warehouse. Priced by distance and cargo size, and usually the most negotiable line in the origin section depending on your forwarder's local trucking relationships.
Export customs / clearance. Filing and clearance formalities required before cargo can leave the export country. Depending on the country and Incoterm, this may appear as its own line or be bundled into a handling fee.
Air freight charges
This is the core of the quote — the cost of flying the cargo from origin to destination gateway.
| AFR — Air Freight Rate | The base per-chargeable-kg rate the airline or consolidator charges for the flight. The largest line item on most air quotes. |
|---|---|
| FSC — Fuel Surcharge | A per-chargeable-kg surcharge indexed to jet fuel costs. Adjusts more frequently than the base AFR and varies by lane and carrier. |
| SSC — Security Surcharge | Covers the cost of mandatory security screening of air cargo before it's loaded. Charged per chargeable kg. |
| AWB fee — Air Waybill fee | A flat fee per shipment for issuing the air waybill, the contract of carriage and title document for an air shipment. Not weight-based, so it barely moves the total on large shipments but matters on small ones. |
Because AFR, FSC, and SSC all multiply against the same chargeable weight, a shipment where volumetric weight wins over actual weight sees every one of those lines inflate together. That's why confirming chargeable weight before booking matters more on air shipments than almost any other part of the quote.
Destination charges
Once cargo lands at the destination gateway, a separate set of charges applies before it reaches the consignee.
CBF — Customs Brokerage Fee. The fee for preparing and submitting the import entry, separate from any duties or taxes assessed by customs. Complexity — number of tariff lines, permits, special regimes — drives this fee up or down. Our customs brokerage partners handle this filing and document verification before entry is submitted.
ISF/AMS-equivalent filings. Most destination countries require advance electronic filing of cargo and manifest data before arrival, similar in spirit to the ISF/AMS requirements on ocean imports into the US. Filing fees for these are typically itemised or bundled into the CBF line depending on the forwarder.
Exam fees. If customs selects a shipment for physical inspection, the cost of the exam and any resulting delay falls to the importer. These aren't predictable in advance and generally won't appear as a line on your original quote — budget a contingency, especially on a new lane or with an unfamiliar commodity.
STG — Storage. Airline or airport handling agent charges for cargo sitting in a bonded warehouse beyond the free period before customs release and pickup. Free time is short on air shipments — commonly measured in hours rather than days — so slow document turnaround can trigger this quickly.
TRK — Destination trucking/drayage. The final-mile move from the destination airport to the consignee's door. Included on door-to-door quotes; confirm separately on port-to-door or port-to-port moves.
Insurance — quoted, not bundled
INS — Cargo insurance is priced separately from the freight charges above, with terms set by the insurer rather than Holo Cargo or the airline. It won't automatically appear inside your AFR/FSC/SSC total, so if you want coverage, confirm it's been added as its own line rather than assumed.
Which charges are negotiable?
Fixed: SSC (security screening is mandatory and airline-set), AWB fee, government duties and taxes, exam fees if triggered.
Carrier-influenced: AFR (rates vary by carrier and how much space they're moving on a given lane), FSC (adjusts with fuel costs, but some forwarders offer more stable blended rates).
Forwarder-influenced: CBF, origin and destination trucking, storage exposure (driven partly by how quickly your forwarder turns around documents for customs release).
Ask any forwarder to itemise all charges by section rather than quote a single all-in number. A quote that bundles AFR, FSC, and SSC into one line makes it hard to tell whether a competing quote is actually cheaper or just structured differently.
How an air quote compares to an ocean quote
The line items overlap in purpose — freight, customs, handling, insurance — but the pricing basis differs. Ocean freight is priced per container (FCL) or per CBM (LCL); air is priced per chargeable kilogram, with a lower conversion threshold for volume, which is why bulky but light cargo costs proportionally more to fly. Air quotes are also simpler in structure — no BAF, THC, PSS, or GRI lines — because capacity and fuel volatility are absorbed into AFR and FSC directly rather than split into multiple carrier surcharges.
For a lane-specific example, an air freight quote on a corridor like Shanghai to Los Angeles will carry the same AFR/FSC/SSC/AWB structure as any other lane; what changes is the rate level and the applicable destination filing requirements. Whichever mode you're comparing, check the Incoterm on the shipment first — it determines who pays for which section of the quote. The Incoterms guide maps each term to the origin, freight, and destination charges each party is responsible for.
Holo Cargo's air freight quotes itemise AFR, FSC, SSC, and AWB fees separately from origin and destination handling, so the chargeable weight calculation behind each line is visible before you book. What we quote is what you're invoiced for those charges.
