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Please give examples of airlines offering free shipping to non-profits.
Hello! Thanks for your question about airlines that offer free shipping to non-profits. The most useful sources I found to answer your question were the websites for Air Canada and West Jet. The short version is that several airlines offer free baggage for humanitarian relief efforts, but they require a prior application process of a few weeks. Below you will find a deep dive of my findings.
AIR CANADA
This Canadian airlines offers air relief to organizations who meet their criteria and fill out an application form. The application form takes about 30 minuets to complete. It asks for the organization's name, mandate, and business number. It also asks for contact information and an email address. In the application the requester will have to give a description of his program, its goals, its sources of funding and its partners. The applicant will also have to provide information about his request: how much support he or she seeks, the schedule of the project, and who the beneficiaries will be. After this application is sent, the airlines will take two weeks to get back to the requester with a decision.
WESTJEST
This is another Canadian airlines that provides support to humanitarian causes by allowing a single piece of baggage containing humanitarian aid per guest in its flights out of Canada. However, there are certain restrictions to this offer. The flight must depart from Canada. The humanitarian aid item must not be packaged with the person's belongings. The baggage item cannot exceed the limits of the aircraft it will be traveling on or the amount permitted at the destination of the flight. And if it exceeds the weight and height allowed, it will be charged accordingly.
AIR TRANSIT
To fulfill a humanitarian request of allowing extra baggage, this airlines requires a letter from a Canadian or international organization. In case the requester can't get a letter, the airlines suggests that the person use their own baggage space allowance for the humanitarian item they want to carry. But they warn that if baggage exceeds the limits of the airline, there will be an extra charge.
SUNWING
Sunwing also allows the carriage of humanitarian goods for passengers associated with registered charitable organizations. They require information to be submitted six weeks before the day of travel. Due to aircraft weight limitations, they exclude certain destinations in the Caribbean and Central America.
AIR CANADA, BRITISH AIRWAYS, AND SOUTHWEST
Air Canada asks for those interested in carrying humanitarian items to submit a request at their website. The application can only be submitted once the requester has booked a reservation number and has a ticket number. British Airways asks for the requester to get in contact with them two weeks before travelling. And they ask for the applicant to include his or her full name, ticket number, and their destination and travel date.
In 2014, Southwest airlines donated USD $20 million in travel and cash to qualified non-profit organizations in the United States. In 2017, Southwest will partner with 75 hospitals and medical organizations to donate 10,000 round-trip flights. For ten years it has been helping patients in need of specialized healthcare.
AIRLIFT FLYERS ASSOCIATION CORP.
ALFA is a nonprofit composed of volunteers that support charities on austere budgets with air mobility. For travel they do not require tickets, reserved seating or gate numbers. A passport and a photo ID are sufficient for travel. However, travelers must show proof that they are endorsed by a humanitarian organization. ALFA works with charities and donors to make matches for the carrying of humanitarian items. Flight donors may offer seats or surplus room on their flight.
LIFT
This is a not-for-profit logistics provider that supports 501c3 foundations and NGOs in disaster relief. They provide helicopters, heavy jets, small and large vessels, ground transportation, and general aviation. They attempt to do this at a reduced cost when possible.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, several airlines offer free baggage for humanitarian relief efforts, but they require a prior application process of a few weeks. Thanks for using Wonder! Please let us know if we can help with anything else!