Pricing · Practice note
A valid quote can still point to stale capacity
A rate has a validity window. Capacity keeps moving with bookings, cargo readiness and handling constraints, so the two timelines need a shared record.
A quote carries more than one clock
I separate the time a quote is issued, the time it is accepted and the date when cargo will be ready for tender. A single validity field often conceals all three, although each affects capacity differently.
An acceptance within the commercial window does not preserve an earlier departure assumption. If cargo readiness moves, the flight options and terminal window have to be checked again.
Keep shipment conditions beside the rate
Weight, volume, cargo characteristics and shipment frequency belong on the same line as the quoted rate. Forwarding a price without those conditions turns a specific answer into something that looks reusable.
Forecast volume and confirmed volume also serve different purposes. The first helps frame demand; the second can support a firmer allocation. It is an easy distinction to lose during a busy handoff.
Give capacity status a source
Capacity may come from a planning sheet, a verbal response or a current system view. I record the source and observation time so the next person can decide whether it is still usable.
When handling windows, fleet plans or onward sectors remain unsettled, the honest status is pending confirmation. A green cell should not settle a question that the operation has not settled.
Handoff only what can still guide an action
The useful record states the shipment assumptions behind the rate, the expiry of those terms, the source of the capacity view and the event that requires another review.
Older versions can remain in the archive, but not at the centre of the working sheet. Rate management often fails because a correct number is left attached to the wrong point in time.