Flexing Our Air Freight Abilities
Dispatch Answers
Around 2:00 p.m. on a Tuesday in August, we received a call: “We need a flap to Orlando, Florida, ASAP!” Oversized for standard air freight, the customer was considering our expedited Hot Shot service. This would have taken nearly 24 hours in drive time, not ideal with a grounded plane. With some out-of-the-box thinking, and up-to-the-minute intel on flight times, we suggested an alternative: fly the part out of Wichita via Southwest Cargo in a lightweight, foam-lined custom crate in half the time.
Consolidated Timeframe
Our customer, thrilled with the option, immediately approved our air freight solution. With dimensions and specs in-hand, our crating company, Leadfoot Solutions, crafted the custom crate while we recovered the part. By the time it arrived at our dock, crating was complete and ready to accept. We then packed the part in preparation for its 5:30 p.m. flight to Orlando.
Building Big Value
After a short flight, our customer received their flap at the hangar by 12:30 a.m., just 10 short hours from start to finish. In short, our customer was thrilled with the response and execution. With a bit of craftsmanship, quick thinking, and data at our fingertips, we delivered the part twice as fast at half the cost over driving. The ability to crate, package, tender, and setup a back-end agent in Orlando brought value in a big way for this oversized part.