Definition of International Surface Air Lift (ISAL)

U.S. Postal Service program for the delivery of bulk printed matter to foreign destinations at a speed and postage rate, between airmail and surface mail rates, based upon the weight of the mailing and the destination country. ISAL is used by mailers who are not able to fill an air shipment container (750 lb. is required by federal law) with their own mail volume alone. The USPS will combine their mail with that of other mailers to make up a full container. To utilize ISAL, the mailer must deliver his mail to one of ten Airport Mail Facilities (New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Miami), depending on the destination country. The mail is then shipped by air to the destination country, where it is further transported by surface mail. The USPS does not offer a delivery-time guarantee and will not ship in less than 14 days if it does not have enough mail to make up a full shipment. Once shipped, the mail is usually delivered in seven to ten days. The cost ranges from $1.80/lb. for Europe to $4.00/lb. for Asia/Australia, and averages $3.00/lb. of mail.