If you have a WebCargo Rate & Quote Air account, you have access to static and dynamic rates, each having different functions depending on your end goal. It’s important to know the difference between these two features when searching for rates and quoting to your customers.

Find out in this article what the difference is between the two.

What are static rates?

The static rates visible within your account have been uploaded manually by our data entry team, which we receive on average every 1.5–2 months directly from the airlines. The price shown to quote is fixed and won’t change during this time.

The validity date will vary from airline to airline, but you can check it by hovering above the “i” symbol next to the rates after you’ve made a static rate search.

You can also request a spot rate from the airline directly if you have previously negotiated a better rate, or have knowledge of one that isn’t available on the platform. You can then build a quote around this spot rate.

Access static rates from the homepage when you first log in by entering your parameters in the Rate and Quote section.

Important: if you do not have the weight and dimensions for your shipment and only want to search by origin and destination, make sure the Shipment details button is off.

Alternatively, navigate by clicking on the New or “+” button, then select New Rate & Quote.

After searching, you can select the static rates you want to build a quote with for your client.

What are dynamic rates?

Dynamic, or live, rates are rates that update on a real-time basis and are taken directly from the airline’s website using an API connection, meaning they’re the same as those shown on the airline’s website. Our team does not upload these, as they do for static rates.

WebCargo currently offers these live rates from many airlines, which can all be accessed by clicking the New eBooking button within your WebCargo account.

The results you see depend on capacity and date range so they will fluctuate based on these factors. When placing an eBooking using this tool, you’ll guarantee the space aboard and pay the exact price you see on the screen.

When making a static rate search, you’ll find a couple of buttons that take you to the dynamic search tool if routes are available with certain airlines. Keep an eye out for the following:

See live dynamic rates

After you’ve made a static rate search, whenever an airline offers live dynamic rates you will see Live Dynamic Rate in purple. Additionally, on the right-hand side of each airline’s results, you will find a row of icons.

Clicking on the first purple icon in the row will take you to the New eBooking page. Your route information, weights, and dimensions previously entered will automatically populate for you to easily search.

Search and book

When live dynamic rates are available you will see the Show Rates button under the Buy Rate column. Clicking on it will show you the average rates for the six days following the date of your search.

Finally, you can click on Search & Book to make a search. This will again take you to the eBooking page and automatically populate your search parameters to easily find the best rates for your shipment.

For more information about how to make an eBooking using this tool, read this article.

If you need any help or think you should be seeing results from airlines that aren’t appearing, please email ebooking.support@freightos.com, or chat with us by clicking on the blue icon located at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen when logged into the platform.