---
title: "Should I Ship by Air or LCL?"
description: "Compares shipping by air vs LCL: air is faster but pricier, LCL adds transit days but is cheaper with consistent pricing, labeling, and weekly sailings."
language: en
canonical: https://www.flex.thisisbrew.com/help/ship-air-or-lcl/
lifecycle: live
---

# Should I Ship by Air or LCL?

If you’re not sure whether you want to ship by air or [LCL (less than container load)](https://www.flexport.com/help/181-should-i-ship-by-lcl-or-fcl/), then consider how quickly you want your cargo to reach its destination, and how much you’re willing to spend to get it there.  

Cargo shipped via air will [reach its destination](https://www.flexport.com/help/87-shipment-transit-time-final-delivery/) several days faster than an LCL shipment, but air is significantly more expensive, even if you’re using the cheapest of the [three air services](https://www.flexport.com/help/348-air-service-express-deferred/).  

Shipping via [Flexport’s LCL service](https://www.flexport.com/help/234-flexports-lcl-service/) will add several days onto your transit time but it is significantly less expensive and offers: a consistent low price, labeling and palletization services, and reliable weekly sailings.

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*This is a markdown version of [https://www.flex.thisisbrew.com/help/ship-air-or-lcl/](https://www.flex.thisisbrew.com/help/ship-air-or-lcl/) for AI/LLM consumption.*