The Five Biggest Myths About Air Courier Travel

8/7/2019 The Five Biggest Myths About Air Courier Travel

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The Five Biggest Myths About Air Courier TravelImportant Note: Because of changes in the air freight industry and worldwide concernsabout airline security in the wake of 9/11, air courier travel is, effectively, a thing of thepast. Yes, there are still places that advertise courier flights, but the prices they areasking are seldom competitive with those offered by airfare consolidators or bucket

shops.So consider this article a trip down memory lane, a look back at a simpler, more innocenttime. For information about how to save money on your air travel, you might want tolook at this.

* * * *I have been traveling as an air courier for over a dozen years and writing about it fornearly ten. Yet in spite of my efforts to spread the word about this low-cost travelstrategy, some myths about air couriers still persist. Lets try to put them to rest once andfor all.

Nm nht thn thoi v ha Courier Du lchCh quan trng: Do thay i trong ngnh cng nghip vn ti hng khng v mi quantm trn ton th gii v an ninh hng khng trong s tri dy ca 9 / 11, du lch hngkhng chuyn pht nhanh l, hiu qu, mt iu ca qu kh. Vng, vn c nhng ni mqung co "chuyn pht nhanh" chuyn bay, nhng gi m h ang yu cu him khicnh tranh vi nhng ngi c cung cp bi consolidators v my bay, ca hng x.

V vy, xem xt bi vit ny mt chuyn i xung ng b nh, mt nhn li mt thi giann gin hn v ti,. bit thng tin v lm th no tit kim tin i li khng khca bn, bn c th mun xem xt iu ny.

* * * *Ti c i du lch nh l mt chuyn pht nhanh khng kh trong hn chc nm vvit v n trong gn mi. Tuy nhin, bt chp n lc ca ti ly lan t v chin lcny i du lch chi ph thp, mt s huyn thoi v giao thng vin khng kh vn cn tnti. Hy th t chng vo phn cn li mt ln v cho tt c.

Myth #1: Air couriers carry and deliver packages.

Air couriers accompany time-sensitive business cargo being shipped byreputable freight companies as passengers baggage aboard regularly scheduledcommercial airlines. The key word here is accompany. Many times, the air courier willnever even see the cargo he or she is accompanying and the courier is never called uponto actually handle it.

The air courier system has been designed by the freight companies, the airlines, andcustoms agencies around the world to be as safe and secure as humanly possible. Keepingthe courier from handling the cargo helps maintain that high level of security.


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The air couriers sole role is to sit in a seat on the plane, thus allowing both the airlinesand the customs people to treat the cargo as passengers baggage rather than ordinarycargo. This may seem like a subtle distinction but it means the freight companys cargogets through customs a lot faster. And that, in essence, is why air couriers exist and whythey get such a break on the fare.

At the most, the air courier will hand-carry an envelope containing the paperwork for theshipment, but increasingly the courier is relieved of even that minimal duty.

Chuyn hoang ng # 1: Khng kh giao thng vin "thc"v "cung cp" gi.

Khng kh giao thng vin i cng nhy cm vi thi gian vn chuyn hng ha kinhdoanh l vn chuyn bi cc cng ty vn ti hng ha c uy tn nh hnh l ca hnhkhch trn tu thng xuyn theo lch hng hng khng thng mi. Cc t kha y l"i cng." Nhiu ln, cc dch v chuyn pht khng kh s khng bao gi nhn thynhng hng ha m h l i theo v chuyn pht nhanh l khng bao gi c ku gi

thc s x l n.H thng chuyn pht nhanh hng khng c thit k bi cc cng ty vn ti hngha, cc hng hng khng, v c quan hi quan trn th gii c an ton v an tonm con ngi c th. Gi chuyn pht nhanh t vic x l hng ho gip duy tr mc bo mt cao.

Vai tr duy nht ca chuyn pht nhanh hng khng c ngi mt ch ngi trn mybay, do cho php c cc hng hng khng v nhng ngi hi quan x l cc hngha l "hnh l hnh khch" thay v iu ny c v ging nh mt s phn bit tinh t"hng ha thng thng." nhng n c ngha l cng ty vn chuyn hng ha ca hng

ha c thng quan nhanh hn rt nhiu. V rng, trong bn cht, l l do ti sao giaothng vin khng kh tn ti v ti sao h c c mt break trn gi v.

Ti nht, khng kh s chuyn pht nhanh tay mang mt phong b c cha cc th tcgiy t cho l hng, nhng ngy cng chuyn pht nhanh c min, gim thu m thmch ti thiu.

Myth #2: You have to be ready to leave at a moments notice.

For some reason, many people think that being an air courier means registering with anair courier company and agreeing to be on call to fly off at the drop of a hat, wheneverthey call you. Not so.

Today, air courier travel is much like other forms of leisure travel. That is, you call acourier company, book a flight to the destination of your choice up to three months inadvance, and pay with a credit card right on the phone. There are exceptions, of course,but many courier flights are booked just this way.


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It is true that if you are available to fly on short notice, you can pick up some dazzlingbargains. Ive flown to Chile for $100 roundtrip and to Bangkok for just $148. Its evenpossible to fly for free if the freight company is really desperate for a courier.

Chuyn hoang ng # 2: Bn sn sng li ti mt thi im ca thng bo.

i vi mt s l do, nhiu ngi ngh rng lm mt chuyn pht nhanh hng khng cngha l ng k vi mt cng ty chuyn pht nhanh hng khng v ng c v cucgi n bay ti th ca mt chic nn, mi khi h gi cho bn. Khng phi nh vy.

Ngy nay, du lch hng khng chuyn pht nhanh l ging nh cc hnh thc i du lchgii tr. l, bn gi mt cng ty chuyn pht nhanh, cun sch mt chuyn bay nch ca s la chn ca bn ln n ba thng, v tr bng th tn dng ngay trn inthoi. C trng hp ngoi l, tt nhin, nhng nhiu chuyn bay chuyn pht nhanh cht theo cch ny.

l s tht rng nu bn ang c sn bay v thng bo ngn, bn c th chn mtvi mn hi chi. Ti bay n Chile cho kh hi $ 100 v n Bangkok cho ch $ 148.N thm ch cn c th bay min ph nu cng ty vn ti hng ha thc s l tuyt vngcho mt chuyn pht nhanh.

Myth #3: You cant bring any luggage.

This is only partially true. You can always bring the normal carry-on allotment and formany modern travelers this is as much as they want to bring anyway.

Some courier companies, on some routes, restrict their couriers to carry-on only. But

more and more companies are allowing couriers to check one or two bags. Once youveflown with a company several times, you can always ask them to make an exception totheir carry-on-only policy. As a courtesy, they might agree. And you can always check abag if you must, by paying the airlines standard excess baggage fee. If youve savedhundreds of dollars on the fare, that could make economic sense.

Chuyn hoang ng s 3: Bn khng th mang li bt k hnh l.

iu ny ch ng mt phn. Bn lun c th mang li bnh thng thc hin trn giao vcho nhiu khch du lch hin i ny nhiu nh h mun mang anyway.

Mt s cng ty chuyn pht nhanh, trn mt s tuyn ng, hn ch giao thng vin cah thc-on m thi. Nhng cc cng ty ngy cng nhiu cho php cc giao thng vin kim tra mt hoc hai ti xch. Mt khi bn bay vi mt cng ty nhiu ln, bnlun c th yu cu h thc hin mt ngoi l cho chnh sch mang-on-duy nht ca h.Theo php lch s, h c th ng . V bn lun c th kim tra mt ti nu bn phi,bng cch tr l ph tiu chun ca hng hng khng hnh l qu cc. Nu bn luhng trm la vo gi v, m c th c ngha kinh t.


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Myth #4: You have to join an association to be an air courier.

Several self-styled associations and organizations have set themselves up torepresent air couriers. These are not non-profit organizations but money-makingenterprises. They tell their members how to fly as an air courier and provide lists of

courier contacts for a fee.

Their marketing material can make it sound an awful lot like the necessary first step tobecoming an air courier is to pay their hefty annual membership fee. This is simply notthe case. Anyone can be an air courier. All you need is a valid passport. There are noqualifications, no tests, no bonding, no background checks.

Joining an association will not get you cheaper fares or preferential treatment, justinformation. The same information can be found elsewhere for a lot less money. You caneven go to your local public library, look up air courier in the card catalog, and get itfor free.

Chuyn hoang ng s 4: Bn tham gia mt hip hi l mt chuyn pht nhanh hngkhng.

Mt s t theo kiu "hip hi"v "t chc" t mnh ln "i din" giao thng vinhng khng. y khng phi l t chc phi li nhun, nhng tin lm doanh nghip. Hni vi cc thnh vin ca h lm th no bay nh l mt chuyn pht nhanh hngkhng v cung cp danh sch cc a ch lin lc a th - vi mt l ph.

Vt liu tip th ca h c th lm cho m thanh rt nhiu khng khip nh mt bc utin cn thit tr thnh mt dch v chuyn pht khng kh l phi tr l ph hi vin

hng nm kh cao ca h. iu ny ch n gin l khng phi vy. Bt c ai cng c thl mt chuyn pht nhanh hng khng. Tt c bn cn l mt h chiu hp l. Khng cbng cp, khng c xt nghim, lin kt khng, khng kim tra l lch.

Tham gia mt hip hi s khng gip bn c c gi v r hn hoc iu tr u i, chcn thng tin. Cc thng tin tng t c th c tm thy ni khc cho rt nhiu tin thn. Bn thm ch c th n th vin cng cng ca a phng, tm "chuyn phtnhanh hng khng" trong danh mc th, v nhn c n cho min ph.

Myth #5: Air courier travel is on the way out.

I first heard this in 1991 and air couriers are still going strong. Its true that the patterns ofcourier travel shift with the winds of global commerce. Theres less traffic to Scandinaviaand more to the Far East, for example. But reports of the demise of couriers werepremature, to say the least.

In theory, it is now possible for freight companies to gain most of the advantages of aircourier shipments without the presence of a courier on board the plane. Shippers,however, have come to expect that a human being will accompany their expedited


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shipments; it makes them feel special. Courier companies, for their part, find the airlinesare much more receptive to their needs when they are buying tickets for on-boardcouriers.

The airlines ship a lot of cargo, Craig Wooten, a Hong Kong-based courier exec told

me. But at the end of the day, theyre in the business of selling seats. And as long as Imbuying seats, I get better service than the bloke whos just chucking cargo into the hold.

So rest assured, air courier travel will be around for a good long while yet. But why wait?With fares discounted anywhere from 30% to 50%, air courier travel is too good a deal topass up.

Chuyn hoang ng s 5: Khng chuyn pht nhanh du lch l trn ng ra.

Ln u tin ti nghe thy iu ny trong nm 1991 v giao thng vin hng khng vncn ang mnh m. S tht l cc m hnh chuyn i chuyn pht nhanh vi nhng cn

gi ca thng mi ton cu. C t giao thng Scandinavia v nhiu hn na n Vinng, v d. Nhng bo co ca s sp ca giao thng vin sm, ni rng tnht.

V l thuyt, n l by gi c th cho cc cng ty vn ti hng ha t c hu htcc li th ca cc l hng chuyn pht nhanh khng kh m khng c s hin din camt dch v chuyn pht trn my bay. Cc ch hng, tuy nhin, mong i rng mtcon ngi s i cng chuyn hng ca h c gii quyt nhanh, n lm cho h cm thyc bit. Cng ty chuyn pht nhanh, v phn mnh, tm thy cc hng hng khng tipthu c nhiu hn na nhu cu ca h khi h ang mua v cho giao thng vin trn tu.

"Cc hng tu rt nhiu hng ha," Craig Wooten, mt Hng Kng chuyn pht nhanhexec ni vi ti. "Nhng vo cui ngy, h ang trong kinh doanh ca bn ch ngi. Vmin l ti mua ch ngi, ti nhn c dch v tt hn so vi g ngi ch nm hngvo gi. "

V vy hy yn tm, du lch hng khng chuyn pht nhanh s c khong mt thi giandi cha tt. Nhng ti sao ch i? Vi gi v gim gi bt c ni no t 30% n 50%,du lch hng khng chuyn pht nhanh l qu tt mt tha thun vt ln.

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The Five Biggest Myths About Air Courier Travel