Almost everything that moves between the United States and Jamaica travels by sea, and for most shipments that is the right answer. Air freight exists for the cases where it is not. The choice comes down to four things: what it costs, how fast it needs to be, what you are sending, and how the two are priced — because they are priced differently enough to change the answer.
Cost
Ocean freight is substantially cheaper for the same goods, and that gap widens as cargo gets heavier or bulkier. For barrels, boxes, household effects and general commercial cargo, sea is the default for good reason.
Air freight costs more because you are buying speed. The question is never whether air costs more — it does — but whether what the delay costs you is larger.
Speed
Air transit is measured in days; ocean transit in weeks. Both then depend on customs clearance at the other end, which is the part people forget when comparing quoted transit times — a fast flight followed by a stalled clearance is not a fast shipment. Paperwork readiness affects your delivery date as much as the mode does.
How They Are Priced
This is where the decision often turns. Ocean freight is priced largely on volume — the space your cargo occupies. Air freight is priced on **chargeable weight**, which is the greater of the actual weight and a volumetric figure derived from the dimensions.
The practical effect: light but bulky cargo is disproportionately expensive to fly, while dense, compact and valuable cargo is where air is most competitive. A pallet of pillows and a pallet of machine parts do not compare the same way.
What Each Can Carry
Air cargo restrictions are tighter. Hazardous goods, aerosols, some liquids and certain batteries are restricted or prohibited on aircraft in ways they are not at sea. Check before you plan around air — discovering a restriction after booking is an expensive rethink.
The option most people miss
You do not have to choose one mode for the whole shipment. Fly the part that is genuinely urgent — the component, the samples, the stock needed for a date — and let the rest follow by sea. Tell us which items are time-critical and we will split it.
Choosing
- Ocean — barrels, boxes, household goods, containers, general commercial cargo, anything where weeks are acceptable.
- Air — urgent parts, perishables, high-value compact goods, documents and samples, deadline-driven stock.