The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the powerhouse engine driving the global aviation sector, ensuring that the intricate machinery of air travel runs smoothly and efficiently. This organization sets the standards and practices that keep the wheels of international freight moving without a hitch.
What Is IATA Accreditation?
Being an IATA-accredited freight forwarder allows you to more effectively tap the world’s logistics network. It signifies a commitment to excellence, reliability, and adherence to the highest industry standards. This accreditation both boosts credibility and opens the doors to a vast network of over 290 airlines, facilitating streamlined operations and top-tier service quality. It positions the freight forwarder as a crucial link in the chain of global commerce, ensuring goods move swiftly and safely across the globe.
How to Become an IATA Accredited Freight Forwarder
Wondering how to earn that mark of distinction and become an IATA accredited forwarder? Then read on for our concise, step-by-step guide on how to get IATA accreditation:
Meet the Eligibility Requirements
The 10,000 mile-high overview goes as follows: To qualify, a freight forwarder must demonstrate robust financial stability to withstand market fluctuations. Comprehensive insurance coverage is essential, to mitigate any potential risks. And of course, adherence to the highest operational standards and regulatory compliance is a must. Finally, completing the rigorous IATA training programs polishes freight-forwarding-skills, ensuring all who pass these programs are elite logistics experts ready to navigate the complex pathways of global trade with confidence and precision.
Complete the IATA Training and Certification
To achieve IATA accreditation, freight forwarders must complete several comprehensive training programs and obtain specific certifications, ensuring they meet the highest industry standards. Here’s a snapshot of the essential courses:
IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) Training: Dive into the world of hazardous materials, mastering the safe handling and transportation techniques to ensure international safety compliance.
IATA Cargo and Logistics Courses: Navigate the vast expanse of cargo handling, supply chain management, and global logistics, acquiring the skills to manage air cargo with pinpoint efficiency.
IATA Cargo Security Training: Become a guardian of transit, learning the latest security measures and protocols to protect cargo from potential threats, ensuring its safe journey.
IATA e-freight Training: Embrace the digital frontier with paperless freight solutions, and the latest insights on how to streamline operations and boost efficiency through electronic documentation.
IATA Quality Management Systems (QMS) Training: Build an unshakable foundation of quality management, ensuring consistent service excellence and continuous improvement in every operation.
IATA Audit Programs: Hone your skills as an internal auditor, meticulously ensuring compliance with IATA standards and regulations, maintaining the highest level of operational integrity.
Each of these programs, although highly intensive, is a stepping-stone to helping forwarders meet the pinnacle of industry standards.
3. Pass the IATA Assessment
The IATA assessment is the final test for freight forwarders, ensuring they meet the highest industry standards.
IATA Vs. IAC Freight Forwarders
IATA freight forwarders hold the IATA license, a distinctive mark granting them direct access to a vast network of over 290 airlines. This status transforms shipping into a seamless and efficient journey, offering customers a ‘premium’ experience with swift transit times.
IAC (Indirect Air Carrier) freight forwarders navigate the skies under TSA certification, adhering to stringent U.S. security protocols. While these requirements shape their operations differently, they ensure robust compliance with U.S. safety standards, creating both a trustworthy and secure shipping process.
For freight forwarders, IATA accreditation shines as a badge of elevated credibility, opening doors to exclusive industry access and providing a powerful competitive edge. Meanwhile, IAC status underscores their dedication to U.S. security measures, ensuring they operate with precision and reliability within the American market.
IATA & IAC Certification for Freight Forwarders: An In-Depth Breakdown
Understanding the role of IATA and IAC certifications in the freight forwarding industry is crucial, as these certifications determine the level of access, efficiency, and service quality a forwarder can offer. Here’s what you need to know:
IATA Certification
Role: Freight Forwarders like DHL Global Forwarding, Kuehne + Nagel, and DB Schenker, are IATA certified. This certification allows them to work directly with (did we mention?!) over 290 airlines, offering streamlined and efficient air cargo services. IATA certification demands rigorous training and adherence to the strictest standards in areas like dangerous goods handling, cargo security, and quality management systems.
Advantages:
Direct Airline Access: Facilitates faster booking and transit times.
Operational Efficiency: Cuts through the red tape with streamlined processes and reduced paperwork.
Credibility and Trust: Garners higher trust and recognition in the global market.
Service Quality: Enhanced service offerings, including priority cargo handling and better customer service.
IAC Certification
Role: IAC (Indirect Air Carrier) certified freight forwarders, such as Expeditors and Panalpina, comply with TSA regulations, allowing them to handle and transport cargo within the security framework set by the TSA. While they do not have the direct airline access that IATA forwarders enjoy, they still play a crucial role in the industry by ensuring that cargo moves securely through the supply chain.
Advantages:
Security Compliance: Adherence to TSA security measures to ensure safe handling of cargo.
Cost-Effective Solution: Provides a more budget-friendly alternative without compromising reliability.
Flexibility: Capable of handling a variety of shipments, adapting to different security needs.
Comparisons at a Glance:
Speed and Efficiency: IATA forwarders benefit from faster processing times due to direct airline relationships, while IAC forwarders may face delays due to intermediary steps.
Regulatory Standards: IATA certification involves more stringent and comprehensive standards, reflecting higher operational excellence. In contrast, IAC certification focuses primarily on meeting TSA security requirements.
Market Access: IATA-certified companies have broader access to global markets and can offer more competitive transit options. IAC-certified companies operate effectively within the security framework but with limited direct access to airline networks.
Again, we can’t say it enough. Understanding the difference between these certifications is essential, because they define the operational altitude of freight forwarders, influencing their capabilities, market reach, and service quality in the fast-paced world of global logistics.
Can I Book Air Cargo Without Being an IATA Freight Forwarder?
The short answer is, “yes.” For non-IATA members, booking air cargo can feel like navigating through a dense jungle without a direct path. Yet, options abound.
These forwarders can tap into three main methods to get rates and secure bookings.
Method #1: Leveraging IATA Partnerships
They can partner with IATA-accredited forwarders who can share rates and handle bookings on their behalf, acting as their gateway to the global air cargo network. This delegation process allows non-IATA forwarders to offer competitive quotes and manage shipments effectively.
Method #2: Unlocking Rates and Bookings with Third-Party Platforms
Non-IATA members can utilize platforms like WebCargo (more on that in the section below), which provides access to participating airlines’ rates and booking capabilities, making the digital transition seamless and efficient.
Method #3: Rate Upload Tools for Efficient Air Cargo Management
Non-IATA forwarders can use rate upload tools to manually input rates from their agents or other sources into standardized templates, ensuring they have a comprehensive and accessible rate database.
The bottom line? Each of these methods requires adept coordination and resourcefulness, but will allow the non-IATA forwarder to perform and compete as a proficient navigator of the complex air cargo landscape.
Benefits of Being an IATA Certified Freight Forwarder
Perhaps the most striking benefit of becoming an IATA accredited freight forwarder, is the ability to join CASS (Cargo Account Settlement Systems).
You must first obtain IATA accreditation before you can join CASS, but once you have, joining CASS offers freight forwarders significant competitive advantages by automating and streamlining financial transactions, ensuring timely payments, and significantly reducing administrative costs related to reconciliation.
CASS membership enhances a freight forwarder’s credibility, fosters trust with airlines, and opens doors to a global network of industry partners. With CASS, forwarders benefit from predictable cash flow, minimized payment delays, and robust risk mitigation, allowing forwarders to remain laser-focused on their core business activities.
How WebCargo Can Help Both IATA & Non-IATA Freight Forwarders
WebCargo revolutionizes how non-IATA freight forwarders book air cargo, transforming the traditionally manual process into a seamless digital experience. You don’t need IATA certification or CASS membership to access WebCargo’s powerful platform. Instead, WebCargo offers three dynamic methods to get rates, book and pay for shipments, ensuring non-IATA forwarders can compete at the highest level in the forwarding landscape and offer exceptional service to their clients.
Methods to Get Rates and Book Shipments:
Collaboration with IATA-Certified Partners:
Free Booking Delegation: Partner with IATA-accredited forwarders who can handle bookings on your behalf, by sharing their direct airline access. This allows non-IATA forwarders to tap into the efficiencies and advantages of IATA certification without the associated costs.
Utilize the IATA partner’s capability to book cargo on your behalf at no extra cost, ensuring you can offer competitive rates and service levels to your customers.
Static Rate Sharing: Access static rates shared by your IATA partners. If the IATA forwarder has a paid WebCargo package, they can also share these static rates with you, providing a reliable and consistent pricing structure.
Static Rate Distribution: Gain access to pre-negotiated static rates from your IATA partners, which can be used for quoting and securing bookings, enhancing your ability to provide accurate and competitive quotes.
WebCargo Pay:
Live Bookable Rates: Directly access live rates from participating airlines such as IAG and Qatar Airways, bypassing the middleman and streamlining the booking process.
View and book available airline rates in real-time, ensuring you can secure space and pricing quickly and efficiently.
Participating Airlines: Benefit from rates offered by a range of airlines available in the WebCargoPay network, tailored to your market and shipping needs.
Seamless Payment Workflow: Utilize WebCargoPay’s efficient payment system, which supports various payment methods and terms, ensuring hassle-free transactions.
Payment Facilitation: If managing payments with partners is a challenge, WebCargoPay can handle the payment process, offering options for credit and timely settlements, thus ensuring smooth financial transactions.
…all of which are available without an IATA or CASS number.
WebCargo for Non-IATA Forwarders:
Manual Rate Input: Input rates from your agents or other sources into standardized templates, creating a comprehensive and easily accessible rate database.
Standardized Templates: Use WebCargo’s templates to upload and manage rates, ensuring consistency and accuracy across all your pricing data.
Enhanced Rate Management: Keep all your rates organized and up-to-date, ensuring you always have accurate and competitive pricing available.
Rate Visibility: Easily upload and update rates from various sources, maintaining a transparent and accessible pricing structure that can be quickly referenced and used for customer quotes.
Transforming Non-IATA Freight Forwarding with WebCargo
With WebCargo’s non-IATA freight forwarding solutions, the sky’s no limit for non-IATA forwarders, as they unlock the following strategic advantages:
Competitive Edge: Offer clients fast and competitive quotes by leveraging the rates and capabilities of IATA-certified forwarders and live airline rates.
Operational Efficiency: Streamline the booking process, reduce manual workloads, and eliminate the need for telephones and emails with our digital platform.
Global Reach: Gain access to a vast network of airlines and forwarders, expanding market reach and service capabilities.
Professional Quotations: Create professional-looking quotes quickly and easily, enhancing both service offerings and customer experience.
Data Insights: Gain valuable insights into operations with detailed reports and analytics on quotes, bookings, and customer interactions.
Simply put: WebCargo’s innovative solutions empower non-IATA forwarders to navigate the complex air cargo landscape with ease, precision, and confidence.
