Air Freight to Middle East: Choose a Freight Forwarder by Price or Service?
When you look for a freight forwarder for air freight to middle east, you need to be clear: are you looking for a low price or good service? It depends on whether the forwarder works with other forwarders (B2B) or direct shippers (B2C).
If a forwarder works with other forwarders, they are basically just selling space on a plane. The only service they offer is making sure your cargo doesn't get bumped. But right now, there is more space than cargo. Do you really think your goods will be bumped? So for B2B, it's all about price. Whoever is cheapest gets the booking. As for service – everyone is pretty much the same.
Now, for direct shippers, there are two situations. If your new customer ships general cargo, they compare prices too. Because thousands of forwarders can handle general cargo. A forwarder has to compete with ten thousand others. To win a few customers, the customer will pick the cheapest freight rate.
But let me say this – low price has a limit. To some extent, for air freight to middle east, a very low price is a sign of a bad forwarder. How can you tell? Look at two things.
First, the price is too low. Think about it: they give you a very low price. Everyone works in the same trade and logistics circle. How can they ship your goods overseas at that price? How is that price even calculated? A low price is one sign of a bad forwarder.
Second, is this forwarder just a middleman who passes your cargo from hand to hand? Or do they actually build their own route, load their own containers, and fly their own planes? If they are a middleman, they may not intend to cheat you. But if they are the agent of an agent of an agent – who knows what problems may come up? That means it's not their own channel. They take your money, they still need to make a profit, so they will look for an even lower price. In the end, you pay a high price, but after many layers of “skimming”, you get a poor, unreliable channel. No profit, no service. That rule never fails.
So the final advice: for air freight to middle east, if you want a fair price and don't want a middleman, don't be lazy. Go visit the forwarder's office. Take our DL International Logistics as an example. I always invite customers to come and see. When you see our 20,000 square meter, 6-floor high dedicated warehouse in Yantian, our 100-person team, and the entire 8th floor of Rongde Times Square Tower B in Longgang District that we bought with full payment – do you think a middleman of that size exists?
If a customer ships more complex goods, like dangerous goods, oversized cargo, flat racks, or other special products – price is no longer their main concern. They care more about the forwarder's expertise. Because with special cargo, mistakes happen easily during booking and transport if the forwarder is not professional. So when you meet such a customer, the forwarder competes with experience, professionalism, and unique advantages. Charging a bit more is fair – because you are not just selling a service, you are selling a technical barrier built on valuable experience and resources.
Take DL International Logistics again as an example. Fast customs clearance is our advantage. In the UAE, our local clearance and delivery team is localized and large scale. We have over 100 local employees, including 17 full-time customs clearers and a few senior advisors who used to work at local customs. For urgent cargo, we clear customs in 2 hours – something most others cannot do. For them, waiting 2–3 days in line is normal.