When moving freight, a truck is suitable in most cases. But with urgent, time-sensitive, or high-value shipments, Hand Carry Service may be the more desirable shipping option since it ensures deliveries arrive as quickly and safely as possible.
What Is Hand Carry Service?
Also called Onboard Courier (OBC) Service, Hand Carry Service enlists a vetted, professional courier who personally escorts the valuable package or important documents on a commercial flight.
With a traditional parcel service, huge, automated sorting facilities are utilized for mountains of cartons, boxes and envelopes. A single parcel will pass through multiple hands before reaching its destination. Unfortunately, this can lead to packages being mishandled or even misplaced despite tracking capabilities.
When using Hand Carry Service, the shipment travels as carry-on or checked baggage, remaining under the courier’s constant supervision. This guarantees an uninterrupted chain of control, since the package only changes hands when delivered to the intended recipient.
Industries that commonly use Hand Carry Services include:
- Aviation – AOG (Aircraft on Ground) emergencies that require critical spare parts
- Automotive – shipment of essential parts to prevent production line stoppages
- Medical – transportation of vital equipment, research-related materials, lab samples, vaccines, and other time-sensitive pharmaceuticals
- High-Tech – shipment of critical components and product samples
- Legal/Financial – delivery of highly confidential, classified documents
- Fashion – shipment of high-end fashion items, samples, and prototypes
- Event Management – transportation of materials for events on a tight schedule
How Hand Carry Service Works
Once an urgent request containing shipment details and timing is received from the customer, an experienced Onboard Courier is secured and directed to the pickup address. The courier books the earliest available flight to the designated destination and travels with the shipment through the entire journey.
Upon landing, the courier completes customs clearance if necessary and then personally delivers the package to the intended recipient. This process ensures fast, secure and transparent delivery from door to door.
Advantages of Hand Carry Service
1. Speed of Delivery
Hand Carry Service is undeniably one of the fastest modes of cargo transportation. With most parcel services, pickup and delivery times are fixed. Miss the 5:00 pm deadline for next day delivery, and you’re out of luck. When utilizing a dedicated courier, however, the only time restriction is the last flight out of the airport. This prevents costly delays like production line shutdowns or missed deadlines.
2. Highest Level of Security
Utilizing a single, dedicated courier to handle the shipment from pickup to delivery significantly reduces the risk of loss, theft or damage. This is due to the absence of transfers between multiple handlers which makes Hand Carry Service ideal for high-value or sensitive items.
3. Real-Time Tracking and Updates
Businesses that ship parcels through Hand Carry Service receive continuous updates on the courier’s location and flight status. This provides much needed assurance for the customer through full visibility, real-time communication and accurate delivery estimates.
4. Faster Customs Clearance
Not only does Hand Carry Service provide secure transportation of valuable items within a short delivery time, it also allows for quicker customs clearance for international shipments. Since the package remains in the care of the courier, it enters the customs procedure through the passenger channel. Once the courier is cleared through immigration and customs, the shipment continues the journey to its final destination.
Why Choose Grand Aire?
As a leading air service provider and management group since 1985, we are pleased to include Hand Carry Service as one of our transportation options. In addition to offering the highest level of security and reliability for your valued cargo, our Hand Carry Service includes:
- 24/7 priority pickup and delivery to and from anywhere in the world
- Door-to-door same day service, both Domestically and Internationally
- An unmatched chain of custody as your shipment will never leave the hands of our couriers until they are delivered
- Fast delivery times with an option to combine our Hand Carry Courier Services with any of our other transportation solutions
- Live status updates via your preference of communication
Allow us to put our experience to work for you. For more information, give us a call at 1-800-70-GRAND or email our team directly at logistics@grandaire.com.
