What Ocean Air Transportation does

Ocean Air Transportation is a privately held U.S. freight forwarding company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The firm provides domestic and international air, ground, and ocean freight services, with a stated specialization in shipments over 70 lbs and unusual or specialty cargo. Its service portfolio spans time-definite domestic air freight (next-flight-out, AM/PM, second-day, third-day, deferred, after-hours, and weekend delivery), full truckload and less-than-truckload ground transportation, international air and ocean freight (FCL and LCL) with customs clearance, and a suite of special services including inside delivery, two-man delivery, trade show delivery, desktop delivery, professional packaging, and warehouse storage. The company is family-owned and led by President and owner Michael Cipressi and CFO and Vice President Kathleen Cipressi, with a headcount in the 11-50 range and a customer base that is horizontally distributed across businesses requiring time-sensitive and specialty freight handling.

The firm's core technology consists of three proprietary systems developed and operated in-house. ATLAS is a real-time shipment tracking and tracing platform providing 24/7 visibility into shipment status. Client Express is an internet-based portal that allows customers to generate airway bills online and forward tracking information to recipients by email. A computerized freight invoice audit system analyzes shippers' invoices for billing discrepancies, rate overcharges, and uncaptured service failure credits, both before and after payment, and is offered as a standalone service. Ocean Air monetizes through transactional freight charges (including a weekly-published fuel surcharge), value-added special services billed as professional services, and the freight audit practice. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, combining phone-based customer engagement (800-777-1112), an online self-service layer via the website and proprietary portals, and an online scheduling and tracking experience. The company maintains a single headquarters in Connecticut and serves both domestic U.S. and international import/export customers.

Name

Ocean Air Transportation

Legal name

Ocean Air Transportation

Website

https://oatinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ocean Air Transportation is a privately held, family-owned U.S. freight forwarder founded in 1986, offering domestic and international air, ground, and ocean freight services, plus proprietary tracking (ATLAS), online airway billing (Client Express), and freight invoice audit, primarily to businesses shipping time-definite and specialty cargo over 70 lbs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Air Transportation (481)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Air Courier Services (4513)

akta.pro primary industry

FCL (Full Container Load) Ocean Forwarding (TLACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

NVOCC Operations & Ocean Consolidation (TLACABAC)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Air freight transportation
• Ground freight shipping
• International logistics services
• Freight invoice audit

Headquarters

HQ city

Windsor Locks

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Domestic Air Freight Transportation: Time-sensitive air cargo services including next flight out, AM/PM delivery, 2nd day, 3rd day, deferred, after hours, and weekend delivery services for domestic shipments.
2. Domestic Ground Transportation: Full truckload services (Box Trucks, Flat Beds, Step Decks, Refrigerated Trucks, ½ and ¼ Truckload), LTL services, Hot Shots for remote immediate delivery, and Local Deliveries.
3. International Air and Ocean Freight: Coordination of imports and exports for air shipments as well as Full Container and Less than Container Loads (FCL/LCL), including customs clearance, distribution, and door-to-door delivery services.
4. Special Services: Value-added logistics services including inside delivery, two-man delivery, trade show delivery, desktop delivery, appointment delivery, uncrate and dispose, professional packaging, assembly and distribution, and warehouse storage.
5. Freight Audit Services: Freight invoice audit services that identify billing errors, rate overcharges, and uncaptured service failure credits. The company files overcharge claims on behalf of clients.
6. Fuel Surcharge: Variable fuel surcharge applied to freight services, with rates published weekly (21% during late 2015 period documented).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Ocean Air Transportation is a freight forwarding company that arranges and coordinates domestic and international air and ground transportation for business shippers. Core services include time-definite domestic air freight (next flight out, AM/PM, 2nd day, 3rd day, deferred, after hours, weekend), full truckload and LTL ground transportation, international air freight and FCL/LCL ocean freight with customs clearance and door-to-door delivery, and a portfolio of special handling services such as inside delivery, trade show delivery, professional packaging, and warehouse storage. The company also offers computerized freight invoice audit to identify billing errors and recover overcharges on behalf of clients.

Product overview

Ocean Air Transportation is a freight forwarding company established in 1986, offering a portfolio of logistics services. The core offerings consist of Domestic Transportation Services (air freight with various delivery speeds) and International Transportation Services (air and ocean freight including FCL and LCL). The portfolio also includes Special Services (specialized delivery and handling options), Freight Audit services (invoice auditing), the ATLAS tracking system, and Client Express (online airway bill management). The company operates from Windsor Locks, Connecticut and serves both domestic and international freight needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Domestic Transportation Services Time-definite domestic air freight services including next flight out, AM/PM delivery, 2nd day, 3rd day, deferred, after hours, and weekend delivery, plus full truckload, LTL, hot shot, and local ground delivery services for U.S. shippers.
• International Transportation Services Coordination of imports and exports via international air freight and Full Container Load (FCL) and Less than Container Load (LCL) ocean freight, including customs clearance, consolidations, distribution, and door-to-door delivery.
• Special Services Value-added logistics services including inside delivery, two-man delivery, trade show delivery, desktop delivery, appointment delivery, uncrate and dispose, professional packaging, assembly and distribution, and warehouse storage.
• Freight Audit Services Computerized freight invoice audit service that captures pertinent information from shippers' invoices, identifies billing errors, rate overcharges, and uncaptured service failure credits, and files overcharge claims on behalf of clients.
• ATLAS Tracking System Proprietary real-time tracking and trace system providing accurate shipment information available 24 hours a day, with air freight tracking integrated with flight status monitoring.
• Client Express Internet-based platform allowing clients to cut airway bills online and forward shipment information via email directly to recipients for tracking purposes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Billing errors and variances can represent 4-8% of charges on most companies' freight statements, with variances running as high as 30% on single shipments

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Worldwide Express: Asset-light freight forwarder and 3PL offering small/medium business air, ground, and ocean freight plus managed transportation. Closely comparable in target customer (SMB shippers), multi-modal mix, and brokerage-style operating model.
• AIT Worldwide Logistics: Non-asset-based freight forwarder offering air, ocean, ground, and customs services with strong SMB and mid-market focus. Closely mirrors OAT's asset-light multi-modal model and value-added service emphasis.
• Pilot Freight Services (Logistics Plus acquisition): Expedited domestic and international freight services provider with air, ground, and ocean forwarding. Comparable in scale and last-mile/specialty handling orientation.
• Radiant Logistics: Asset-light freight forwarding and logistics services company with domestic and international multi-modal capabilities. Closely comparable in size, asset-light approach, and SMB/mid-market customer orientation.
• Forward Air: Expedited domestic less-than-truckload and air freight services provider specializing in time-definite shipments — directly overlapping OAT's domestic air freight and specialty cargo niche.
• SEKO Logistics: Mid-sized global freight forwarder and e-commerce logistics provider with comparable air/ocean/ground services and customs brokerage. Similar size band and customer mix to OAT, with stronger international depth.

Broad incumbents

• Expeditors International: Large global freight forwarder offering air, ocean, and ground services with proprietary technology. Operates in the same space as OAT but at vastly larger scale with global network coverage.
• Yusen Logistics: Global logistics provider offering air, ocean, ground forwarding and contract logistics. Overlaps with OAT's international forwarding and customs brokerage offerings, though at much greater scale and geographic reach.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with comprehensive air, ocean, road, and contract logistics services. Same industry and product set as OAT but with global scale, enterprise customers, and far deeper technology investment.

Emerging players

• Flexport: Digital-first freight forwarder offering international ocean and air forwarding with proprietary software platform. Comparable in services but differentiated by modern technology stack that contrasts with OAT's dated digital presence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ocean-air-transportation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ocean Air Transportation