What is a hand carry courier?
Hand carry is a time-critical logistics service in which a dedicated person physically travels with the shipment rather than sending it through a standard multi-hub parcel network. It is commonly referred to as On Board Courier or OBC.
What can be hand carried?
Typical enquiries include original legal documents, contracts, certificates, AOG aircraft parts, engineering components, prototypes, electronics and urgent personal belongings. Every item is checked against airline, security, customs and destination rules before acceptance.
Why choose hand carry?
The main benefit is dedicated responsibility and fewer operational handovers. For a shipment where hours matter, the courier can travel on the fastest practical commercial routing and complete a direct delivery to the named recipient.
Deciding whether hand carry is suitable
Hand carry is useful when an eligible item needs personal accompaniment and a delivery deadline that a routine parcel service cannot meet. It is assessed around the packed shipment, the route and the recipient's needs. A document envelope and an engineering component can require very different checks even when they weigh the same.
Describe the item precisely and provide the number of packages, external dimensions, gross weight and value. For equipment or components, include information about batteries, liquids, materials and any temperature limits. Do not assume that a small parcel is automatically suitable for cabin carriage; airline and security acceptance must be checked for the actual journey.
Collection, packaging and paperwork
Have the item securely packed and ready at the collection point, with a contact who can release it to the courier. Tell us if it must remain upright, sealed or protected from impact. For original documents, explain any envelope or recipient instructions so the handover can be planned correctly.
For goods, explain the purpose of the movement and what supporting shipment paperwork is available. Personal accompaniment does not remove customs or destination requirements. Any missing information that affects acceptance needs to be resolved before dispatch.
Timing from collection to handover
We assess collection availability, transport cut-offs, journey time and the final transfer together. Tell us both the earliest collection time and the latest acceptable delivery time, including the time zone. A city-centre estimate can change when the final address is a remote site or access is restricted.
Explore the London to Paris route and London to Brussels route for city-to-city air and rail planning. For a longer international movement, the London to Dubai route guide explains arrival and final-delivery considerations. These are planning guides, with availability checked for each enquiry.
Agreeing the recipient and proof of delivery
Supply the recipient's name, phone number, delivery address and opening hours. If delivery to reception, a hotel desk or a nominated representative is acceptable, say so before departure. Direct handover and the delivery confirmation are arranged around the accepted job; a building being open does not necessarily mean the intended recipient is available.
Use next flight out planning when departure timing is the main constraint, or London OBC collection guidance when choosing the departure gateway.
How Direct Carry handles urgent international delivery
Every enquiry is assessed individually. We need the collection location, destination, ready time, absolute deadline, accurate contents description, dimensions, weight, value and any special handling or regulatory requirements. We then assess whether hand carry is suitable and identify the fastest practical routing.
All movements remain subject to airline acceptance, aviation security, customs, export/import rules, destination laws and courier entry requirements.
When personal delivery is worth arranging
Start with the consequence of a missed handover. Is a signed original needed before a business appointment, or an eligible replacement component needed by an engineer? Tell us what must happen at the destination and when. This helps us assess whether the speed and personal custody of hand carry fit the job.
If you are arranging delivery for another business, agree the receiving instructions before dispatch. Our document courier guidance for freight forwarders explains what to prepare when original paperwork needs to reach a different receiving party. For urgent delivery of small engineering parts, provide the packed item details and the site contact. For business originals sent between offices, confirm whether reception can accept them or a named person must be present.
Use the enquiry to establish three things: when the item will actually be ready, the latest handover time in the recipient's local time zone, and who can receive it. We confirm suitability and the proposed journey before acceptance, then agree progress updates and delivery confirmation. If access or recipient availability changes, tell us promptly so the handover plan can be reassessed.
Use our urgent courier dispatch checklist to gather the details with your team before requesting a quote.