How long does shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico take?

IB Non-Con delivers to Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico in 2–5 days from mainland U.S. Transit time is measured from first physical scan to the first delivery attempt.

How much does non-continental shipping cost with IB?

IB Non-Con saves e-commerce businesses approximately 30% compared to standard carrier rates for the same routes. The exact rate depends on parcel weight, dimensions, origin, and monthly volume. Contact our team for a custom estimate.

How does IB's zone-skipping model work?

Standard carriers price non-continental routes through their zone model, placing Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico in the highest (most expensive) tiers. IB consolidates parcels and flies them to destination markets on established airline routes, bypassing that zone pricing entirely. Shipments are then processed through IB's on-the-ground facilities for local delivery, which is why IB can offer both faster transit and lower rates on the same routes.

What shipping platforms does IB Non-Con integrate with?

IB Non-Con integrates with ShipStation, ProShip, Shipium and other platforms e-commerce businesses already use. The goal is for non-continental orders to flow through the same workflow as any other domestic shipment. Reach out for the current integrations list and onboarding timeline.

Does IB serve APO, FPO, and military addresses?

Yes. IB Non-Con serves military APO, FPO, and DPO addresses in addition to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories, including Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Is IB Non-Con suitable for smaller e-commerce businesses?

Yes. Box of Savings gives smaller shippers access to the full IB Non-Con network regardless of volume: same transit times, same carrier partnerships, same cost efficiency as high-volume accounts. Businesses with as few as 5 non-continental parcels a week can participate.

What support is available once I start shipping with IB Non-Con?

A dedicated CX team owns your account from onboarding through your ongoing operations. The same team stays with you as your volume, integrations, and operational needs change. Customer service is available Monday through Friday around the clock and Saturday 9:30 am to 1:30 pm MST, with bilingual support including Spanish. Tracking and our FAQ are available 24/7.

Non-continental shipping to Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico

5 million carts to fillTime to ship.

International Bridge delivers fast, affordable small parcel shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and APO/FPO addresses - with the kind of specialized infrastructure that turns hard-to-reach destinations into reliable delivery zones.

Day delivery: 2-5; Day delivery
Savings: ~30%; Savings
Years delivering: 20+; Years delivering

Get started 801-889-1281

A map showing IB warehouse locations and shipping routes across the United States, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico.

Same country, different infrastructure

Non-continental destinations sit outside the ground networks that make mainland delivery predictable and cost-efficient. Serving them well requires air logistics, regional presence, and carrier relationships most operations never build because the volume never justified it - until the right infrastructure made the economics work.

International Bridge has been building that infrastructure since 2003, starting with 33 packages to Hawaii. Today IB Non-Con ships millions of packages yearly to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and military APO/FPO/DPO addresses.

We combine a zone-skipping air model with on-the-ground facilities in destination markets and carrier partnerships refined over two decades.

Coverage

Where IB Non-Con delivers

IB Non-Con serves every non-continental U.S. destination.

Hawaii

Time-sensitive parcel shipping depends entirely on air transportation. IB uses direct mainland-to-island routes and local processing to deliver consistently - without premium pricing.

Ship to Hawaii

Alaska

Severe weather, mountainous terrain, extremely remote communities. Consistency depends on engineered routing, layered infrastructure, and structured partner coordination.

Ship to Alaska

Puerto Rico

Over 1,000 miles from the mainland with sensitive address formatting. IB has developed long-term expertise in PR address validation and last-mile execution.

Ship to Puerto Rico

U.S. Territories

Serving U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands with destination-aware customs handling.

U.S. Territories guide

APO/FPO/DPO

Military and diplomatic addresses with USPS-stream routing and AE/AP/AA region support.

APO/FPO guide

The opportunity

5 million reasons to go non-continental

The demand is real

Limited local retail means Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico residents depend on mainland e-commerce for everyday products, not just specialty items. That translates into higher average order values and lower return rates: customers buy more per order and shop more intentionally when their options are fewer.

Markets are underused

The typical pattern isn't zero non-continental shipping. It's incomplete coverage: Alaska and Hawaii but not Puerto Rico, or non-con turned on but volume capped because the cost per piece made these destinations hard to offer profitably. When the infrastructure is right and the cost model works, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico all become viable lanes, and the demand that was already there starts moving.

Routes that earn margin

Standard carriers price non-continental shipping by zone, placing Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico at the highest tiers. IB's zone-skipping model bypasses that entirely. The result: non-continental routes that don't cost more than mainland delivery. With the right infrastructure, these destinations become profitable lanes, not cost centers.

Growth lever

Built for how you ship

For growing DTC brands

Enable nationwide shipping from day one and unlock a customer base with higher average order values and almost no competition for their loyalty.

For 3PL providers

Stop turning down clients who need full U.S. coverage. One integrated solution for every address - clean margins, simple workflow, and full control of the client relationship.

For enterprise retailers

Eliminate the operational drag of treating non-continental shipments as exceptions. Same workflow, same cost discipline, same service levels - across every ZIP code in the country.

IB Non-Con makes non-continental shipping a natural part of your fulfillment - not an exception to it.

Your parcels' journey

The shipping process

Five elements power the model. Three steps describe what happens to every parcel.

Pickup & consolidation

IB picks up your parcels, then sorts and scans each package by destination.

Air transport via zone-skipping

Parcels are transported by air directly to destination markets - bypassing intermediate zones.

Local processing & delivery

At the destination, IB processes each parcel for final delivery through local infrastructure.

The result: your non-continental orders flow through the same predictable, cost-efficient process every time - no manual workarounds, no exception handling, no surprises on the invoice. Just another profitable shipment out the door.

The model

How IB Non-Con works

IB Non-Con is built on a zone-skipping model - a logistics approach that bypasses intermediate shipping zones to move parcels directly from consolidation points to destination markets by air. Reliable non-continental delivery depends on five structural elements working in coordination. When any one weakens, variability increases. When all five are engineered together - and refined over 20+ years - delivery becomes predictable. This engineered approach is what makes 2–5 day delivery at up to 30% savings structurally possible - not through cutting corners, but through eliminating the inefficiencies that make non-continental shipping unprofitable for most fulfillment operations. When the network is purpose-built for these routes, these destinations don't cost more to serve. They earn more.

TheIB NON-CONapproach

Destination-level processing

We have facilities in the markets we serve, not just in mainland hubs. Local handling eliminates layers that turn delivery windows into guesswork.

Structured partner coordination

Every transfer - airlines, ground, local delivery - is an engineered event: sequenced, data-verified, monitored through protocols refined over two decades.

Multi-layer data verification

Data problems become delivery problems. IB runs multi-layer verification before a parcel enters the network - catching issues before they reach your customer.

Built-in recovery architecture

Flights reroute. Weather hits. IB treats disruptions as expected conditions - with recovery protocols that activate automatically.

Coordinated air lift capacity

IB pre-arranges lift on direct routes, calibrated by season, volume, and demand, so capacity is planned in advance rather than scrambled shipment by shipment.

For growing businesses

Box of Savings

Not every business ships thousands of parcels a month - but that shouldn't mean they can't access the IB Non-Con network.

Print your labels

Generate 5+ IB Non-Con labels.

Consolidate

Place labeled parcels into one box.

Ship to IB

Send to an IB warehouse (LAX or CVG).

IB handles the rest

Each parcel delivered via the IB Non-Con network.

Smaller shippers get the same transit times, same network, and same cost efficiency as high-volume customers.

Integration

How IB fits your workflow

IB Integrates into the way you already work - not a separate logistics process.

Platform integrations

IB Non-Con Connects with the platforms you already use - same workflow as mainland orders.

Onboarding and setup

Configure, connect, and begin shipping in days, not quarters.

Tracking and visibility

Real-time status from first scan to final delivery - for your ops team and your customers.

Dedicated support

Live support Monday through Friday, Saturday 9:30 am to 1:30 pm MST. Multilingual team, no ticket queues.

Behind the network

Our technology

Purpose-built technology Real-time visibility

IB's technology was developed by an in-house engineering team specifically for non-continental delivery, not adapted from a general-purpose logistics platform. Real-time visibility from first scan to final delivery, connecting directly with ShipStation, ProShip,Shipium and other multi-carrier solutions.

For your operation, that means fewer exceptions, fewer manual fixes, and more predictable costs, helping turn non-continental delivery from a profitability concern into a clearer margin opportunity.

Our people

On the ground where it matters

IB operates with teams in destination markets, bringing established carrier relationships, cultural fluency, and regional understanding that only come from being there.

When conditions shift, IB's local teams respond in real time - not after a ticket is escalated. Whether it's a weather disruption rerouting flights to Anchorage or a volume surge ahead of the holidays in Puerto Rico, our people have the context and the relationships to adapt without missing a beat.

Every client gets direct access to people who know their shipments, their lanes, and the communities they're delivering to.

Deliveringsince

2003

From growing online stores to the world's largest retailers

International Bridge began delivering to non-continental destinations in 2003, starting with 33 packages to Hawaii. Since then, IB Non-Con has grown into the cornerstone of the business - delivering millions of small parcels every year.

Twenty years means established airline partnerships, tested contingency plans, refined address validation, and carrier relationships that can't be built in a single contract cycle.

Pricing

Affordable shipping to hard-to-reach destinations

~ 30%Typical savings vs. traditional carriers

Most e-commerce businesses are surprised by how much they can save - and even more surprised by how quickly these destinations start contributing meaningful margin.

The savings are specific to your business. A short conversation with our team is the fastest way to find out what IB Non-Con could look like for your operation.

Start shipping 801-889-1281

FAQ

Non-continental shipping: what you need to know

Quick answers on how IB makes non-continental delivery more predictable, efficient, and easier to manage.

Non-continental shipping covers U.S. destinations outside the contiguous 48 states: Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, other U.S. territories, and military APO/FPO/DPO addresses. These destinations are domestic from a regulatory standpoint but are served by air-dependent networks rather than the ground infrastructure that handles mainland deliveries.

Resources

Guides and resources

Guides, destination breakdowns, and operational insights

Ready to reach more customers?

Tell us about your shipping needs and someone from our team of specialists will be in touch within one business day.

Contact our team