Introducing the Griffin Air: Air Freight Tracking Built for the Long Haul

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Key Takeaways

  • Automatic airline compliance, zero manual intervention: The Griffin Air uses smart sensing to detect takeoff and landing to automatically disable cellular transmissions in flight. It is airline certified and approved across 40+ global carriers.

  • Up to 7+ years of battery life on user-replaceable AA batteries: Most air freight trackers last weeks to months, requiring retrieval and recharging between trips. The Griffin Air is built to stay deployed for the long haul, with no fleet servicing, no returns, and no gaps in visibility.

  • One device for the entire asset journey: From the cargo hold to the warehouse floor, the tarmac to the hangar, the Griffin Air tracks assets across air, road, and indoor environments without reconfiguration or additional hardware.

We are excited to introduce the Griffin Air, a rugged GPS asset tracker purpose-built for air freight and global supply chain operations.Air freight is one of the most regulated and operationally complex environments in supply chain logistics. Assets move across cargo holds, warehouses, trucks, hangars, and maintenance facilities, often on multi-leg routes spanning multiple carriers and countries. The devices tracking those assets need to handle all of it: staying compliant in the air, maintaining visibility on the ground, and doing both without requiring constant attention from the teams relying on them.

Most air freight trackers last a few weeks to a few months. That means retrieval, recharging, and redeployment between trips. And most aren't built to handle the multi-environment, multi-leg reality of global supply chain assets, so visibility breaks down exactly when it matters most.

The Griffin Air handles the full journey — no gaps, no returns, no trade-offs.

 

Airline Compliance, Handled Automatically

Aviation regulations prohibit cellular transmissions in aircraft cabins and cargo holds. A non-compliant tracker doesn't just get flagged, it can get a shipment refused or off-boarded by the carrier.

The Griffin Air uses smart sensing to detect takeoff and landing automatically, disabling cellular transmissions in flight with no manual input required. No geofences. No per-flight commands. The device handles compliance on its own, every time.

And while in the air, the Griffin Air continues to log impact events, mishandling alerts, and sensor data throughout the flight. The moment the aircraft lands, everything uploads automatically.

The Griffin Air is airline certified and approved across 40+ global carriers, with more being added. That means it can move across international air cargo networks without per-shipment certification requirements.

"Air freight tracking has historically forced organizations to choose between compliance, visibility, and operational practicality," said Ilan Gluck, EVP and Head of GTM, North America at Digital Matter. "By combining intelligent flight-aware tracking with multi-year battery life and a rugged deploy-once design, the Griffin gives global logistics operators a scalable way to maintain visibility across the entire asset journey without adding operational complexity."

 

Deploy Once. Track for Years.

Three user-replaceable AA batteries power the Griffin Air for up to 7+ years at daily pings, and up to 2.5+ years at 4x pings per day. When the batteries eventually do need replacing, a field technician can swap them on-site. No shipping the device back. No scheduled service visits.

For logistics operators managing fleets of high-value assets across global supply chains, this changes the operational model. The overhead of retrieving, recharging, and redeploying short-life trackers between trips adds up quickly. The Griffin Air removes that cycle entirely.

 

Visibility Across Every Environment

On the ground, the Griffin Air delivers full GPS and cellular reporting with configurable location and condition data. In the air, smart sensing handles compliance automatically while the device continues logging. Indoors, in warehouses, hangars, and maintenance facilities, Wi-Fi access point scanning provides accurate positioning where GPS can't reach.

A built-in Bluetooth 5.2 gateway extends visibility further, capturing data from connected BLE tags and sensors for temperature monitoring, humidity, condition data, and asset identification. Configurable impact, tip, and rotation alerts help identify potential mishandling events during transit before they become damage claims.

The Griffin Air also operates on 4G Cat 1bis with 2G fallback, with flash memory to store records when out of coverage, so there are no data gaps on global routes.

 

Where the Griffin Air Wins

The Griffin Air is built for the full asset lifecycle across a range of industries and use cases:

Air freight and cargo tracking: Compliance-first visibility across ULDs, containers, and cargo equipment on multi-carrier international routes.

High-value asset transport: End-to-end tracking across air, road, and ground legs, with impact and mishandling alerts for accountability in transit.

Aerospace and MRO supply chains: Indoor Wi-Fi location and custody records for tools, rotables, and equipment across hangars and maintenance facilities.

Condition-sensitive logistics: Full cold chain visibility via BLE sensor integration for pharmaceutical shipments, biological samples, and high-value perishables.

 

Griffin Stock Photos (6)

Frequently Asked Questions

What triggers flight detection?
The Griffin Air uses an onboard barometer and accelerometer to detect takeoff and landing, automatically disabling and re-enabling cellular transmission.

Does flight detection need to be configured?
No. Flight detection is fully automatic and works out of the box.

What tracking mode is recommended for air freight?
Digital Matter recommends periodic tracking for air freight deployments.
> Learn more about Griffin Air parameters

What does 40+ airlines approved mean?
Griffin Air has passed DO-160 testing and has been individually authorized by 40+ airlines. Because each airline approves devices independently, always confirm the current approval list with Digital Matter before committing to a specific carrier.

How do I check the current approval list?
Refer to the latest approval article, then confirm with Digital Matter Support before making any customer commitments.

What if a customer needs approval for a new airline?
Digital Matter will provide the required test documentation and manage the submission, but airline review timelines vary.
> Contact Digital Matter Support for assistance

Getting Started Resources

For more information about the Griffin Air or to explore how it can support your operations, contact our team today.

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