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Freight audit

Air terminal storage audit

Container demurrage is counted in days, so an error is noticeable. At an air terminal, time is counted in hours — an error happens faster than anyone realizes the clock has even started.

A different recipient, a different contract

Air terminal storage invoice · No. STG-2026-0914 · chargeable weight 1,450 kg

Storage 6 days × €1.10/100 kg/day95.70 €
Documentation handling28.00 €
Total123.70 €

Where the clock starts under the tariff

counted from flight arrival (09-09 23:05)

tariff counts from the arrival notice (09-10 16:20) · free 2 days

Difference 31.90 €

Example — not a real client document

A container demurrage invoice is issued by the ocean carrier under your contract of carriage. An air terminal storage invoice is usually issued by the terminal handler — a ground-handling company that is neither the airline nor, strictly speaking, a party to your contract. The practical consequence: the claim goes not to the airline, but to the terminal or via the freight forwarder who has a contract with the terminal.

When the clock starts

Free storage time can start being counted from different moments — from flight arrival (the earliest, least favorable to the client), from notification of arrival, or from customs release (the latest, when the cargo can actually be collected). The difference between the first and third option can reach two full days.

Three possible clock-start points The same shipment, three different free-storage-time start moments: flight arrival is earliest and least favorable to the client, notification of arrival is in between, customs release is latest. The gap between the first and third can reach two full days. Flight arrival (earliest) Notification of arrival Customs release (latest)

What we do not do

We have no dedicated air terminal clock algorithm. A storage invoice is checked by the same general rule engine as any other supplier invoice — contracted rate, accessorial charges, duplicates.

We do not determine when the clock should have started if the tariff does not say. The three possible start points differ by up to two full days, and we cannot choose for you.

We do not file the claim with the terminal or the forwarder — you do. This is not caution for its own sake: the claim arises from your contract, and asserting it on your behalf is a legal service — in Germany only registered providers may offer it (RDG).

Without driver waiting-time records we cannot calculate the waiting time; a CMR consignment note is not enough for that.

Pricing

This isn't a separate service — it's a feature of the freight invoice audit, included in the same price (€79/mo ongoing monitoring, or a historic audit). Unlike driver waiting-time detection, air terminal storage detection IS gain-share eligible — just like the container D&D audit: you file the claim with the terminal/forwarder yourself, and the success fee is calculated on the amount actually recovered. The rate is the same as across the module: 25% (capped at €5,000/case, minimum €100), or a fixed price of €1,490 for an archive audit. Clients in Germany and Austria are not offered the success fee — only the fixed price is available there.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a separate subscription?

No — it's a feature of the freight invoice audit, included in the same price (€79/mo ongoing monitoring, or a historic audit), not an extra fee.

Before you start: how long you have to bring a claim — the scope of a historic audit is limited by the limitation period, not by your archive.

Why is this gain-share eligible, but driver waiting time isn't?

Because you file the claim with the terminal/forwarder yourself — the system has no conflict of interest between two sides, unlike driver waiting time, where we have clients on both sides of a single detention case.

Does the system have a dedicated algorithm just for air terminal storage?

No — you upload the terminal storage invoice through the freight invoice audit module like any other carrier/supplier invoice, and it's checked by the same general rule engine (contracted rate, accessorial charges, duplicates). There is currently no dedicated, air-terminal-specific free-time clock-start algorithm.

What is needed

  • Carrier invoices (required)
    If you do not have it: Without the invoices the audit cannot be carried out.
  • Rate schedule annexed to the carriage contract (without it some of the checks will not work)
    If you do not have it: Without the rate schedule six of the twelve checks will not work — only the arithmetic and the duplicates remain.
  • Driver waiting-time records (preferred)
    If you do not have it: Without the times we cannot calculate the waiting time — a CMR consignment note is not enough for that.

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We enable this service only after discussing the scope — it relies on external data that we do not have in every market. We check first whether your case is covered, so that we do not sell what we cannot deliver.

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