Hand carries 101.
Is that kind of thing still done today tenthije, didnt think you were suppose to take/carry items for other people, and nowadays it has to go by cargo doesnt it?
Still, what an amazing job that must be, even better if you get to travel business/first class?
Yeah those are still done. You are right that one is not allowed to bring items on board not packed yourself. However, the airline ticket would be on the name of the company (DHL). The passenger flying has to carry documentation proving employment with DHL. This document comes along with the usual cargo documents like a freight-manifest, dangerous goods declaration (if applicable), etc.
I am not exactly sure on the proceedings, as I am not in the air department myself. However, the way I understand the proces is that the cargo will go through regular freight channels, including customs and safety checks. This is done at the bonded (airside) warehouse of DHL or our local partner. Instead of being put on container it will go from the cargo terminal (airside) to the passenger terminal (airside). There our flyer will collect the parcel(s). He will then proceed to customs to get some more stamps and documents approving the parcel into the cabin.
Upon arrival the freight will have to be customs cleared again. This is often a time consuming process. Customs at the passenger terminal will tell you to take the cargo to the cargo customs. The cargo customs will tell you to take your carry-on to the passenger terminal. And thus a nice merry-go-round starts. That is of course assuming you can get to the cargo terminal in the first place. If that is not possible you will have to wait for a customs officials to come over from the cargo area. Of course in our case it helps a lot that we got offices at most mayor airports. Our customer is near the airport, so a short taxi ride or waiting DHL van will then do the final delivery.
As for flying first/business, most of the time that would indeed be done. Not so much for the passenger’s sake, but for the cargo’s sake. Weight allowance “up front” is more generous, as is the space available which is handy if you want to bring your parcel into the cabin!
Hand-carrys are usually small, not too heavy and often quite valuable. You may not believe it, but sometimes a handcarry is done for cheap articles as well. For instance a box of screws you could buy at your local B&Q. This is mostly done if said screws have to meet exact specifications, like for instance in the automotive or aviation branch. If an accident where to happen, and the fault traced back to the B&Q-screws instead of approved screws, well… let’s just say the lawyers would be working double shifts.
For bulky stuff we will book space on a cargo plane. If required we will even charter a full plane, all the way up to Antonov 124s. Flying anything is rather expensive (I won’t go into rates, as you’ll no doubt understand), so we book ocean container whenever the desired transit times make this possible.
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