Xeneta categorizes your air freight rates into three different service levels: upper tier, mid tier, and lower tier. This allows a direct comparison to other market rates that are most similar to yours.
The reason for standardizing and categorizing these rates is because many freight forwarders use different names for their service levels. Re-categorizing and re-naming these internal service levels allows us to better compare your rates directly with others in the market.
The categorization of each rate is done by our team of data analysts, who ensure that a proper comparison can be made between your rates and the market. If you have any concerns or would like to further discuss the service level that your rates have been assigned by Xeneta, then feel free to contact our Rate Management team at RMT@xeneta.com.
Service Level Characteristics
The rate characteristics in the following table define the way by which Xeneta determines the service level category of your rates. In some cases, particular rates may not always follow this scheme.
| Xeneta Service Levels | Lower Tier | Mid Tier | Upper Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $ | $$ | $$$ |
| Transit Time1 | Within N+4+ days2 | Within N+3 days (± 1 day)2 |
Within N+1 days2 |
| Consolidated | Yes | Preferred not | No |
| Clearance Speed | Flexible | Faster | Fastest |
| Next Flight Out | Flexible | Flexible/preferred next Not Guaranteed |
First/next flight |
| Permitted Stops | 2+ | 1–2 | Preferred non-stop |
| Daily Flight Recommended | No | Yes | Yes |
| Multimode Services | Yes | Yes | No |
1Transit time represents the typical airport-to-airport transit time.
2The N indicates the number of days between origin and destination airports.
Comparing Service Level Names
You can view the service level to which your rate has been assigned to by visiting the My Prices page, navigating to the All Prices tab, and looking at the Xeneta Service Level column.
Note: You can find the original service level name provided with your rates under the My Service Level column.
Service Levels and Market Metrics
You can use the My Prices page together with the Market Metrics options to compare the assigned service level of your rates against market benchmarks.
Example
If you have a set of rates assigned to the mid-tier service level, it would be reasonable to compare these rates against the mid-tier market rates. You can filter market rates to show only mid-tier prices by choosing the mid-tier service level metric from the Market Metrics menu in the top-right corner of the screen.
As with ocean freight, the market level comparison (low, average, and high) options apply to air freight. If you have both Mid-tier and Market Average metrics selected, your rates will be compared against the market average price for mid-tier service levels in each applicable trade lane.