With many companies adopting multimodal transportation to streamline their supply chains, air freight remains an indispensable link. However, tracking air freight for real-time information is not that simple. Air freight tracking is fraught with challenges, from multiple stakeholders to siloed systems, often leaving shippers and freight forwarders grappling with inefficiencies.

If you've ever wondered, "How do I check my air shipment status without endless manual effort?" You're not alone. Traditional tracking methods—like visiting airline cargo websites and manually entering airway bill numbers—may provide some insights. Still, they lack real-time updates and actionable visibility, often resulting in higher costs and inefficiencies.

Challenges in Air Freight Tracking

Air freight tracking comes with unique challenges that disrupt efficiency, transparency, and cost management:

1. Tedious Manual Processes

Traditional air cargo tracking requires manually entering AWB numbers on multiple airline websites. Not only is this process time-consuming, but it's also error-prone, resulting in delayed updates and inefficiencies. For example, if you're managing dozens of shipments across different airlines, toggling between systems can quickly become overwhelming.

2. Fragmented Information Sources

Air freight involves multiple stakeholders, including airlines, ground handlers, and freight forwarders, each using their own systems. The lack of standardization often leads to inconsistent milestone definitions, such as "cargo received," or "cargo accepted," or "Shipment received," making it challenging to create a cohesive view of a shipment's status.

3. Limited Real-Time Updates

Without dynamic ETAs, shippers cannot proactively manage delays or inform customers about changes in delivery timelines. For example, an unforeseen delay at a transfer hub might leave stakeholders scrambling to adjust schedules, creating a ripple effect throughout the supply chain.

4. Challenges of Split Shipments and Cargo Delays Impacting OTIF 

Split shipments arise when a single consignment is divided and transported on multiple flights due to capacity constraints or weight restrictions. This complicates shipment tracking and management, heightening the chances of delays or misplacement. Similarly, cargo delays may result from weather disruptions, technical problems, or customs processes, throwing off delivery schedules. These setbacks can lead to missed deadlines, affecting OTIF (on time in full) performance and potentially incurring late delivery penalties.

These challenges not only increase operational costs but also compromise customer trust, making it imperative to adopt more intelligent solutions.

How to Track Your Air Freight Easily

The answer lies in leveraging modern air freight tracking platforms that simplify and streamline cargo tracking from departure to final delivery. By harnessing advanced technologies like real-time data analytics, machine learning, and APIs, these platforms eliminate manual tracking and provide comprehensive visibility at your fingertips.

What Do Air Freight Tracking Platforms Provide?

Modern air freight tracking platforms like Portcast are designed to address the pain points of traditional tracking methods. Here's what Portcast brings to the table:

• Master Airway Bill (MAWB) Tracking: Add shipments easily with only MAWB as the input data across more than 200 airline carriers.
• Wide Carrier Coverage: Access standardized milestones from over 200 airlines, including regional carriers, all in one platform, ensuring no shipment goes unnoticed.
• Comprehensive Milestone Monitoring: Track critical shipment milestones such as departure, customs clearance, final delivery, and many more.
• Split Shipment Tracking: Keep tabs on shipments split across multiple flights to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
• Cargo Piece Count Visibility: Know exactly how many pieces are in each shipment.
• Detailed Shipment Data: Access key details such as shipment weight, origin, destination, and airline information at a glance.
• Dynamic ETA Updates with Telemetry: Receive accurate schedules and real-time updates on arrival and departure times, including Estimated and Actual Time of Arrival (ETA and ATA) using telemetry data.
• Easy to Integrate API and Embeddable Map-view: Platforms like Portcast provide both WebApp and API integrations, making it easy for shippers and forwarders to integrate tracking insights into their systems.

These features not only provide visibility but also empower businesses to anticipate delays, communicate proactively with customers, and optimize supply chain operations.

Conclusion

The challenges of air freight tracking are real but not insurmountable. By adopting a robust air freight tracking platform, businesses can eliminate inefficiencies, gain real-time visibility, and proactively manage their supply chain.

Portcast is transforming the way shippers and freight forwarders approach air cargo tracking. From dynamic ETAs to end-to-end visibility, we offer a comprehensive solution to streamline your freight tracking process.

Take the first step toward hassle-free air cargo tracking. Contact us today to discover how Portcast can streamline your supply chain operations.