- Diagnostic and laboratory specimens in approved packaging
- Pathology samples and time-critical tissue for testing
- Refrigerated or frozen material within airline limits
- Medical records and HIPAA-sensitive documents
- Urgent medical supplies and device components
On-board courier (OBC)
Hand-carried by air, door to door.
Dedicated hand-carry transportation for time-sensitive medical specimens and healthcare materials. A Navy Black courier collects the shipment in Dallas-Fort Worth, keeps custody of it on the flight, and delivers it to the destination lab or facility — door to door, with a documented chain of custody.
- From $800 + airfare
- Door-to-door custody
- STAT same-day
- Temperature-controlled
Request an OBC quote
Tell us where it's going and when it has to arrive. We price the whole mission — flights, ground legs and handling — and confirm it in writing before a ticket is bought.
Published starting rates
Priced per mission.
Airfare, courier time, ground transport and handling change with every trip, so there is no single fixed price. These are our starting ranges — your written quote itemises each part before anything is booked.
| Service | Rate |
|---|---|
| Domestic short-haul OBC Up to about 750 miles from DFW — e.g. Houston, Denver, Nashville, Atlanta | $800–$1,200+ airfare & expenses |
| Domestic medium-haul OBC About 750–1,250 miles — e.g. Chicago, Phoenix, Miami, Washington D.C. | $1,000–$1,500+ airfare & expenses |
| Domestic long-haul OBC Over about 1,250 miles — e.g. New York, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle | $1,250–$2,000+ airfare & expenses |
| Same-day / STAT air mission | +25–50%on the mission fee |
| After-hours dispatch | +$150–$250 |
| Temperature-controlled specimen | +$75–$250+ |
| Origin pickup, facility to airport | $55–$125 |
| Destination final-mile, airport to facility | $75–$150+ |
| Courier airfare, round trip | Actual fare |
| Overnight hotel, if required | Actual cost+ handling |
| International OBC | Custom quotegenerally $1,500–$6,000+ |
Starting ranges, not a fixed tariff. The price that counts is the one on your written quote. STAT means dispatch on the next workable flight, same day.
How a quote is built
Itemised, not a lump sum.
Mission fee + airfare + ground transport + special handling + travel expenses. An OBC isn't simply a plane ticket: the courier personally accompanies the shipment and keeps custody of it for the whole trip — pickup, airport security, the flight, the drive to the lab, and the signature at the other end.
The return flight is part of the price.
A specimen flying DFW → Chicago leaves a courier in Chicago. The quote covers DFW → Chicago → DFW: if the outbound flight is $300 and the return is $250, the airfare line is $550, not $300. It's on the quote up front, not a surprise on the invoice.
Example: DFW hospital to an Atlanta lab, refrigerated
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Airfare, DFW → Atlanta → DFW | $450 |
| OBC mission fee, short-haul | $900 |
| DFW specimen pickup | $75 |
| Atlanta airport → laboratory | $100 |
| Temperature-controlled handling | $100 |
| Customer quote | $1,625 |
Illustrative only. Airfare is whatever the flights actually cost on the day, so it moves the total more than anything else.
Scope of service
What can be hand-carried.
- Packaging meets airline, TSA and applicable IATA / U.S. DOT rules
- Dry ice is limited in quantity and needs airline approval in advance
- Some regulated or hazardous materials cannot be carried aboard at all
- Seat availability on a flight that meets your deadline
An OBC shipment travels subject to airline availability and the transport regulations that apply to what's inside it. If something can't legally fly as a hand-carry, we tell you when you ask for the quote — not at the airport.
No flight needed
Airport recovery, DFW & Love Field.
Shipment already in the air? We meet it at DFW or Dallas Love Field, collect it from the airline cargo counter, and drive it straight to your hospital or lab — the same chain of custody, without buying a seat. It works in reverse too: we'll take a shipment from your facility to the airport for an outbound flight.
- Cargo-counter or gate pickup at DFW and Love Field
- Direct delivery to the receiving lab or hospital
- Proof of delivery and custody log every time
- Pickup from your facility, tendered to the airline
- STAT and after-hours available
- Temperature-controlled handling on request
Local runs that don't involve an airport use the standard medical courier rates.
How it works
From call to signature.
Tell us the mission
Pickup facility, destination, what's being carried, how it's packaged, and the time it must arrive.
Approve the quote
An itemised quote — mission fee, flights both ways, ground legs, handling — in writing. Nothing is booked until you say go.
We fly it
Documented pickup, custody through the airport and the flight, and hand delivery with proof of delivery at the other end.
Something has to be there today?
Call for a STAT mission. The sooner we know the deadline, the more flights there are to choose from.