Does this sound like you? The parts that your business urgently needs are sitting on a supplier’s dock 1,200 miles away. You need them at your plant 12 hours from now to avoid a major catastrophe. If you ship them on ground transportation, you’re looking at a minimum of 24 hours on the road. How can you possibly meet the deadline? The answer is air charter service.rnrnOn-demand (non-scheduled) u003ca href=u0022https://rxo.com/expedite/air-solutions/u0022u003eair charter serviceu003c/au003e utilizes an exclusive-use freighter or passenger aircraft to expedite cargo or people from point to point. Simply put, you’re renting an entire plane for a specific cargo movement. Whether domestic or international, it’s the fastest possible option when something must reach a distant destination quickly. Here are the most common uses of air charter:rnu003ch2 class=u0022wp-block-headingu0022u003eu003cstrongu003eCommon Uses of Air Charteru003c/strongu003eu003c/h2u003ernu003ch3 class=u0022wp-block-headingu0022u003eTime-Critical Cargo Transportu003c/h3u003ernAir charter service is used all over the globe to transport important items from place to place and meet time-critical deadlines. It could be a large shipment of personal protective equipment heading to a critical destination, or a pallet of key parts on its way to a production plant.rnrnThere are many reasons why you might need to speed up the timeline on a shipment, particularly in today’s fast-paced and globally connected marketplace. Depending upon the type and size of aircraft, air charter service can reach far more points on the globe than scheduled commercial airline service and more quickly. In the US alone, there are over 5,000 general aviation airports, enabling charter aircraft service to a vast number of destinations — either directly, or in close proximity — including remote sites that could take days to reach by ground transport services.rnrnAir charter service is popular with major manufacturing companies that rely on just-in-time, or JIT, supply for their facilities. JIT means that the company keeps their on-hand inventory of production parts to a minimum, and inventory arrives at the facility very close to the time it’s used to produce the next production units. If the regular mode of JIT transport gets delayed, or a supplier is backlogged, the threat of lost production time is imminent and comes at a significant cost. Air charter service can be the most viable solution.rnu003ch3 class=u0022wp-block-headingu0022u003eEmergency and Public Interest Benefitsu003c/h3u003ernAir charter service can also be effective in the event of national supply shortages and natural disasters. It’s the most agile way to deliver critical goods almost anywhere in the world; and in many cases, it’s the only immediate solution. For example, after a natural disaster that devastates infrastructure, typically the first priority is clearing local airports to allow air charter service operations.rnrnThroughout 2020 and 2021, large aircraft flew personal protective equipment to support the needs of healthcare providers. Products manufactured in Asia needed to reach points around the globe within days, not weeks or months. Air charter providers, such as RXO, arranged these shipments by securing aircraft to meet specific timelines.rnrnWhen a major freeze hit the state of Texas in early 2021, it left millions of residents without power, and many companies with a short supply of inventory. Shortly after power was restored, air charter services were utilized to bring in replacement products to get communities back on their feet.rnu003ch3 class=u0022wp-block-headingu0022u003ePayload and Cost-to-Value Factorsu003c/h3u003ernA very common misperception is that air charter service can only accommodate certain types of cargo. In fact, across the entire spectrum of aircrafts in service, air charter has the ability to transport virtually any cargo or payload, from documents on a small plane to heavy-lift payloads exceeding 250,000 pounds or 600 cubic meters, equivalent to multiple ocean containers.rnrnThe cost basis for air charter service is higher than scheduled airline services, ground transport or ocean freight: in certain scenarios, significantly higher. However, the cost-to-value model for air charter is very attractive based on its ability to provide maximum flexibility and customer support, customization to unique requirements, and of course unparalleled speed. That’s the ultimate benefit, and at RXO, our air charter service proposition is, “We deliver the most valuable commodity in transportation — time.”rnu003ch2 class=u0022wp-block-headingu0022u003eHow Air Charter Service Worksu003c/h2u003ernIn order to utilize air charter service, you’ll need to understand the basics and who to contact. The first step is finding a plane. You’ll want to work with a known provider who can arrange the proper type of aircraft operating in compliance with applicable regulations. This could be anything from a small prop plane to a large, wide-body jet. The size of aircraft you need will be determined by the characteristics of your shipment.rnrnhe provider you settle on will also help you with the scheduling details for your cargo. The provider will need to know:rnu003culu003ern tu003cliu003eThe location of the cargo and whether it needs to be picked upu003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003ernu003culu003ern tu003cliu003eThe exact dimensions of the cargou003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eThe destinationu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eThe desired time of arrival at that destinationu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eAny special handling needsu003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003ernOnce they have that information, they will:rnu003culu003ern tu003cliu003eProcure an aircraftu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eChoose an airportu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eArrange ground transport to the origin airport, and from the destination airport, as neededu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eSchedule arrival and departure days and timesu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eLine up ground crews for transfersu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eAnd other logistical detailsu003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003ernIn North America, air charters from time of quote to arrival at destination can be completed within 12 hours or less, and it’s possible for dispatch to occur in as little as two hours after quote. International air charters will take longer depending on the scope, but can usually be managed within 24 to 48 hours or less.rnrnThe process of booking an air charter from an expert provider, like RXO, can be relatively simple and quick, assuming you’ve defined your objectives and have the necessary cargo data ready to go. With the correct data, RXO can typically start giving you multiple options within as little as 30 minutes, and provide the solution you choose 24/7/365 — all just one phone call away.rnrnFor more information about air charter solutions, u003ca href=u0022https://rxo.com/expedite/air-solutions/u0022u003evisit our air solutions page.u003c/au003e