How do you decide when to switch from sea freight to air — do you have a formal threshold?

The cost difference between sea and air on a standard 20-foot container equivalent is roughly 8-12x depending on origin. For most FMCG operations, sea freight is the default and air is the emergency option.

But "emergency" is vague. We spent a lot of time last year debating whether a specific shipment justified air freight and it came down to gut feel each time. We've since built a simple decision rule:

• Stock coverage below 3 weeks at current consumption rate → evaluate air
• Stock coverage below 2 weeks → air freight approved without further escalation
• High-margin SKUs get a lower threshold than commodity products
• Seasonal items get evaluated separately during peak periods

The calculation also factors in the cost of a stockout — lost sales, customer penalties, emergency local sourcing — versus the premium for air freight. When you put actual numbers in, air freight is often cheaper than a stockout.

Do you have a formal policy for this or is it still case by case?