Shipping Guidelines

We want your freight to arrive at destination in the same condition that it was loaded into our aircraft. Below is a brief list of reminders to help you prepare, package, and protect your goods for a safe journey. Please contact our team with questions or for assistance.

Packaging

We do not offer packaging materials, such as boxes, bubble wrap, or blankets, at Lynden Air Cargo. All shipments must arrive ready to ship. If you need to palletize your items for proper shipping and handling, one can be provided by Lynden Air Cargo, and we can provide saran wrap to help secure the shipment. The weight of the pallet will be included in the total weight of the shipment. Please see Shipper’s Risk for a list of certain items that may only be sent at the risk of the shipper.

Shipments that require Special Handling

Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods

Lynden Air Cargo transports hazardous materials (hazmat) and adheres to the rules set forth in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (49 CFR) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations.

Hazardous materials shipments must be properly classified, packaged, and labeled by the shipper prior to delivering to our Service Center. When shipping any hazardous material, a hazmat declaration must be prepared by the shipper and provided to Lynden Air Cargo in order for it to fly. Our warehouse personnel can provide the paperwork to do so but it is the shipper’s responsibility to complete it. Download our Dangerous Goods Shippers Declaration form.

For guidance and help completing hazmat packaging, labeling, or for general questions, we suggest contacting TGI Freight for assistance.

Small used gas-powered items, such as generators or chainsaws, are considered dangerous goods for air transport and must be completely empty of fuel prior to dropping off the shipment. There are no means to empty gas tanks at Lynden Air Cargo’s facility. This must be completed beforehand.

There is an additional fee applied per shipment, listed on our rates page.

Examples of hazmat shipments are provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Human Remains

We recognize losing a loved one is difficult. Our team will take the utmost care to bring them home safely and ease the process. A designated funeral home can also often help to facilitate these shipments and the requirements involved.

Lynden Air Cargo must be notified 24 hours in advance of shipping for flight building purposes. Human remains must be dropped off no later than four hours before scheduled departure time in order to make the flight, and recovered no more than four hours upon flight arrival.

Shipments of human remains move on Lynden Air Cargo’s Priority service level and are transported at 200% of the tariff rates, as listed on our rates page. A copy of the death certificate must be affixed to the casket or container as well as handed to our customer service team, along with a completed air waybill.

Lynden Air Cargo also accepts shipments of cremated remains. Cremated remains must move on our Priority service level and be declared on the air waybill when delivered to our Service Center.

Keep From Freezing (KFF)

Lynden Air Cargo offers Keep From Freezing (KFF) service to protect goods during the colder months that would become unusable or ruined if freezing were to occur. Some examples include paint, turbines, and oil. KFF service is seasonal and typically offered between September and April each year.

The customer is responsible for determining whether the shipment requires KFF protection and declaring it on the air waybill or bill of lading when the cargo is dropped off to our Service Center. Please be sure to also notify our customer service and/or warehouse teams verbally at time of drop-off. There is no additional fee for KFF service.

Live Animals

Lynden Air Cargo has safely transported a wide variety of live animals including smaller pets, such as dogs and cats, and larger animals including whales, muskox, and elephants, all over the world. Smaller pets can move on our Scheduled Service within Alaska while larger animals are better suited for our On-Demand Service.

Lynden Air Cargo must be notified of an incoming live animal 24 hours beforehand for flight building purposes. The shipper is responsible for supplying the kennel, cage, trailer, or other enclosure to accompany the animal during transportation. A leash or lead and food are also recommended. Lynden can supply water before and after the flight, as needed. Live animals must be dropped off no later than four hours before scheduled departure time in order to make the flight, and picked up no more than one hour upon flight arrival. The shipper and receiver should both be available by phone in case there are any last-minute changes in the flight schedule.

Shipments of live animals move on Lynden Air Cargo’s Priority service level and are transported at 150% of the tariff rates, as listed on our rates page.

Perishables

At Lynden Air Cargo, we are determined to fly your perishable items in immaculate condition. Delivering fresh produce to rural Alaska is something we pride ourselves on. We want to make sure you receive your goods in excellent condition, so we have a few tips below.

  • We offer chill and freeze storage areas at our Service Centers in Anchorage and Bethel. We offer freeze storage only at our Emmonak, Kotzebue, and St. Mary’s locations. Our Nome location does not offer perishable storage at this time.
  • Chill and freeze freight need to be declared upon check-in. It must be reflected on your air waybill description.
  • We offer chill and freeze stickers; our warehouse personnel will make sure your freight gets labeled accordingly.
  • During the normal loading and unloading process, chill and freeze freight will not be in a temperature-controlled area. Please make sure your perishables can withstand being out of temp for 6-8 hours. We highly suggest gel ice packs and insulated shipping containers.
  • Leaking packages will not be accepted.

Vehicles, Snow machines, ATVs, Side by Sides

Lynden Air Cargo transports new and used vehicles, including snow machines, ATVs, and side by sides on our Scheduled Service within Alaska.

There are a few things to consider before your item is ready to ship. There must be less than 1/4 tank of gas in your vehicle, and snow machines, ATVs, and side by sides need to be as empty as possible in order to transport these items by air. There are no means to empty gas tanks at Lynden Air Cargo’s facility. This must be completed beforehand. We do not require these shipments to be palletized and/or crated but the shipper is responsible for properly securing and protecting their items for transportation. Lynden Air Cargo does not provide crating services. Personal effects are not allowed in vehicles, snow machines, ATVs or side by sides for air transportation as this can affect weight and balance of the aircraft.

A Dangerous Goods Shippers Declaration form should be completed and submitted when dropping off your used vehicle, snow machine, or ATV. For general guidance and assistance completing the form, please contact TGI Freight.

Other rates and fee(s) apply to transport these items, as listed on our rates page.

Lynden Air Cargo can also transport oversized vehicles and equipment worldwide. Please contact our team for more information.

Wild Game Meat, Seafood

We can ship your chilled or frozen wild game meat or seafood within Alaska on our scheduled air cargo service. Lynden Air Cargo will also transport taxidermy shipments and antlers.

The shipper must properly package and protect these items for transport (additional requirements listed below). During loading and unloading of the aircraft, cargo will be exposed to outside temperatures so please ensure packaging will maintain internal temperatures up to six hours. No leakage will be permitted. If a leak does occur an additional fee may be applied to the shipment, depending on the severity of the leak.

All wild game meat and seafood must be clearly declared as “chill” or “freeze” on the air waybill and labeled visibly on the packages to be shipped. Please be sure to also notify our customer service and/or warehouse teams verbally at time of drop-off. Any wild game meat will be placed into freezer storage by default, if not properly labeled.

Note: There may be state or federal permits, forms, or other requirements that apply before someone can transport wild game meat. It is the shipper’s responsibility to understand and adhere to these regulations.

Important Reminders:

A Game Meat Shipping Declaration form must be filled out when dropping game meat to our location.

Sometimes hunting gear is requested to be shipped in addition to game meat and items such as propane tanks, ammo, outboard, and others, are considered hazardous materials. Any and all hazmat must arrive with a hazmat declaration and labeling completed in Anchorage. We suggest contacting TGI Freight to get this completed.

Hunting/camping gear cannot be mixed together with game meat or seafood.

All game meat and seafood will be transported at the shipper’s risk. No claims can be opened on shipper’s risk items. There is no commercial value for any game meat or seafood.

Additional Packaging Requirements:

A form of rigid, sturdy packaging that is stackable is highly suggested to transport game meat and seafood. Examples of acceptable packing include bulk containers, fish boxes, totes, bins, lined cardboard boxes, etc. We will not accept any shipments of game bags on pallets unless they are tarped.

Recommended containers/packaging:

All totes and gear must have shipper name and phone number written clearly and visible on packaging upon acceptance at our location.

Backhaul Shipments Moving to Anchorage:

Backhaul shipments of wild game meat, seafood, and hunting gear must be recovered in Anchorage within two business days of arrival or a daily storage fee of $150 per pallet will accrue. If you have hired an expediting company to pick up your freight, please make them aware of the two-day pickup requirement. Shipments must be paid for before they are released to an expediting company.

Only one shipper/hunter can be listed per air waybill when dropping off backhaul shipments. Please be sure to label packages with the receiver’s name at destination to ensure shipments are released timely.

Pricing Structure for Game Meat Backhaul
 Backhaul Rate
Recommended Packaging.60/lb.
Tarped1.20/lb.

In the event we need to send back game meat instead of hunting/ camping gear, your game meat may arrive in Anchorage before your gear.

Our outstations have very limited freeze and chill capacity, specifically during peak seasons. It is a first come, first serve basis when dropping off game meat and seafood.

Flights can and will be changed for a multitude of reasons. Your game meat, seafood, and hunting gear may not come back on the flight you were anticipating. Please plan accordingly.

Shippers Risk

Lynden Air Cargo is committed to ensuring your freight is delivered to it’s destination in the best possible condition. That said, some products and materials require additional or special packaging to protect them against the normal rigors of shipping and handling. Please note that fragile and perishable items require special packaging for transport and may only be sent at shipper’s risk.

Common items sent at the shipper’s risk:

  • Cabinets
  • Counter tops
  • Fragile items
  • Glass, windows, windshields, etc.
  • Perishables
  • Porcelain products
  • Seafood
  • Shower stalls
  • Sinks
  • Toilets
  • Uncrated ATVs, snow machines, and vehicles
  • Uncrated doors and windows
  • Wild game meat