airmates On Board Courier Platform FAQ

airmates is the On Board Courier platform of time:matters, your expert for Special Speed Logistics with more than 15 years of experience in the On Board Courier business. On our airmates platform, you can request and book accompanied transport to destinations all over the world at any time of the day or night. We have digitized the complex quotation and booking process, saving you valuable time and money. On our unique platform, you can provide the details of your shipment with just a few clicks. In less than a minute, we create a complete quote for your On Board Courier transport, which you can book directly online.
At airmates, you benefit from the optimal interaction of innovative technology and human expertise, because the digital platform is backed by our airmates experts, who are available 24/7 to personally advise and support you.

time:matters GmbH is a subsidiary of Lufthansa Cargo AG and your expert for particularly urgent transports and complex logistics requirements. By air, rail and road, we transport highly urgent spare parts, medical samples and important documents from A to B, quickly and reliably. Our global network with over 500 courier partners and airlines forms the basis for this. In principle, time:matters has access to every available airline and can thus use a comprehensive route network: more than 3,000 connections daily to over 500 destinations in around 100 countries. In addition to speed and reliability, individual and flexible service is our top priority. We are available around the clock, 365 days a year, to design tailor-made, customer-specific logistics concepts – from ad hoc cases to regular business. time:matters has been awarded the ISO 14001:2015 environmental certificate and is ISO 9001:2015 certified. The company employs more than 370 people and also operates its own express and courier terminal at Frankfurt Airport.

time:matters GmbH was founded in 2002 out of Lufthansa Cargo AG and has again been a wholly owned subsidiary of the company since 2016. As part of the Lufthansa Group, we benefit from the cooperation and partnerships of an aviation group with global operations.
At the same time, as an independent company, we enjoy maximum flexibility and have lean and efficient structures thanks to the size of our company. Our first priority is to find the best transport solution for your logistical emergency. That's why we don't limit our flight search to the Lufthansa network, but use flights from all available airlines.

In the event of a logistical emergency, airmates supports customers from a wide variety of industries. Whether you need to ship urgent spare parts, sensitive samples or confidential documents – we find courier solutions for you. We have customers in the following industries:

• Aviation and aerospace
• Automotive
• Life and health
• Medtech
• Machinery components
• High-tech and semicon
• Fairs, exhibitions and events
• Forwarding and logistics
• ...and many more

The displayed price includes all costs for the On Board Courier transport: economy air tickets (in some cases it may be cheaper to book business tickets with more free baggage), courier reimbursement, travel costs to/from the airport and, if applicable, accommodation costs for the courier.
Optional additional services such as customs clearance and shipment repackaging are not included in the displayed price. We would be happy to support you with these on request. Any extra costs for additional services are always discussed with you in advance.

No, we use flights of ALL available airlines. Our first priority is always to offer you the fastest flight connection and the best price for your express transport. We live up to this quality promise by not restricting our flight search in any way and by making use of offers from all airlines.

Instead of manually searching for a suitable flight connection and courier for each request, the platform digitizes the extensive processes and saves valuable time. While conventional quote generation can quickly take 30 to 60 minutes, the airmates platform scans thousands of flights in just a few seconds with the help of an API (= program interface) and finds the optimal connection. In addition, it determines a suitable courier from our global network of more than 12,000 airmates. Thanks to our unique technical solution, we can provide you with a directly bookable offer in less than a minute.
If you have any outstanding questions or special requirements, we are always happy to support you personally by telephone or e-mail.

The offer does not meet your expectations? No problem, we are happy to create alternative solutions together with you! Behind our digital platform is a team of logistics experts who will personally support you 24/7. Perhaps you already have a specific flight connection in mind or need to let us know about special transport requirements – we are happy to discuss your individual situation by telephone or e-mail in order to take everything into account when preparing your quote.
airmates offers you the perfect combination of innovative technology and human expertise. Your advantage: if you contact us via the platform after submitting your enquiry, our airmates experts can view this directly and thus save valuable time.

On the rare occasions when our platform does not find a solution, there can be a range of different reasons for this. The well-being of our couriers is important to us, so we do not expose them to risks such as war or epidemic – especially since flights are often not even available to regions in the grip of such situations.
In addition, we place the highest demands on the safety and reliability of our transport solutions. For this reason, our platform takes into account a great deal of information, such as handling times at the respective airport, time required for transit, etc. when preparing quotes. Very infrequently, some piece of information may not (yet) be stored in the system and it is not possible to generate a fully automated solution.
Behind the digitized platform, however, is our team of logistics experts, who take over directly in such cases and search for an alternative solution. Please feel free to contact us 24/7 by e-mail or telephone:


In addition, we are constantly improving our platform by focusing on machine learning and predictive solutions. In this way, the platform benefits from our valuable expertise and experience in the On Board Courier business and we can continuously expand its capabilities.

In principle, there is no size or weight limit for your shipment – we have already delivered shipments weighing 1.5 tonnes by On Board Courier. We carry shipments as hand luggage if at all possible, depending on the specifications of the respective airline. If the permitted maximum dimensions are exceeded, we can also check in your shipment with the highest priority. Of course, potential additional costs due to excess baggage are discussed with you in advance.

The most convenient way is to book via our platform: simply enter your details with a few clicks and receive a complete quote in less than a minute which you can then book directly. Of course, you can also make your enquiry by telephone or e-mail. Or have you questions about an offer received through the platform? No problem, our airmates experts are at your disposal 24/7/365.

If you would like to make a non-binding enquiry or if you have questions about a booked order, our logistics experts are at your disposal 24/7/365 and are happy to support you by telephone or e-mail.

The On Board Courier transport process is very complex and requires meticulous planning. Our platform determines the fastest connection and the best price in less than a minute. If required, our logistics experts will adapt the solution to your wishes or generate an alternative solution together with you.
Once the route is ready and you have completed your booking, we start implementing various sub-processes in parallel:

• Flight booking: The flight connection is booked.
• Customs clearance: All customs details are clarified for smooth customs clearance. Generally speaking, our customers carry out customs clearance themselves. If required, we can also support you.
• Courier briefing: The selected courier receives all necessary information and documents for the transport. The detailed briefing includes, for example, when and where the shipment should be picked up, how to get to the airport, whether there are any special customs clearance requirements, which contact person must receive the shipment, etc.
• Monitoring and tracking: Our On Board Couriers are in constant contact with our team of experts. So we always know where your shipment is at any time and can support you if necessary.
• Status updates: We proactively inform you about all relevant transport steps and send you regular updates by e-mail.

In addition to the details of the actual transport (place and time of pick-up or delivery, contents of the shipment, etc.), we need the contact details of the respective contact person on site as well as documents relevant to the shipment. However, you can be sure that our team of experts will contact you directly if anything is missing.

We proactively inform you about all relevant transport steps by e-mail so that you always know where your shipment is at any time. Just let us know the e-mail address(es) you would like to use to receive your updates. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us 24/7/365 via e-mail or telephone.

Our logistics experts are at your disposal 24/7, 365 days a year. The best way to reach us is by telephone or e-mail:

With the help of our specially developed courier app, we can locate our couriers in real time and inform them about new orders. In addition, we are in close personal contact with them during the entire transport and are informed about all relevant steps. In this way, we always know exactly where your shipment is at any time.

All On Board Couriers first go through a comprehensive security check, including a background screening. Before their first assignment, the couriers are prepared for their job in an extensive training session. They also receive a briefing for each mission and are in close contact with our team of experts.

Our couriers always put the pedal to the metal to reach their connecting flights – if necessary, they even break into a sprint at the airport. Of course, in rare cases it can still happen that flights are delayed and connections are not made. We are in personal contact with couriers throughout the entire transport process and carefully monitor every step. As soon as it appears a transit might become time-critical, our logistics experts already look for an alternative solution so that your express shipment is transported to its destination as quickly as possible.

Customs clearance is not included in the transport quote and in most cases is carried out directly by our customers. As they have the necessary documents and usually work together with a local customs partner, customs clearance can be completed quickly and efficiently.
If you do not wish to do the customs clearance yourself, we will be happy to assist you with our worldwide network of customs partners. Please note that this will incur additional costs. These costs are calculated according to the effort involved and are always agreed with you in advance.
No matter whether you carry out customs clearance yourself or have it done by us – thanks to our extensive customs expertise, you can always rely on us to find a solution together and to comply with all country-specific requirements and formalities.

As a registered time:matters customer, you can pay by PayPal, credit card or invoice. As a new customer, PayPal and credit cards are available as payment options. Since you need to move fast in the case of an emergency, you can register as a time:matters customer before your first booking and benefit from the following advantages:

• Payment by invoice
• Faster process in the case of an emergency, as your data is already stored in the system
• Access to our time:matters online booking tool, with which you can, for example, book and track Sameday Air and ic:kurier shipments.

Our quality promise is to offer you the fastest quote and the best price for your On Board Courier transport. That's why we calculate each offer individually, taking into account real-time fares. Since these costs can change at any time, we offer you the price for a specific time window. Even if the flight costs increase during this time, we will only charge you the quoted price!