US blocks airfreight of household goods
- Latest News
- Thursday, 18 November 2010
American Airlines and most other carriers with freight arms have written to customers telling them they will ban for 30 days all items that represent an "elevated risk".
In its letter, American Airlines said the ban would apply to all personal effects or household goods, shipments paid for by cash or personal cheque, and shipments from companies and individuals without a relationship with the airline.
European airlines also may impose similar bans.
Household goods are already banned on passenger flights out of the US. Paul Barnes of Team Allied said the company already had begun to see an impact, noting that personal effects were piling up at the company's warehouses.
Barnes said the measures would hit companies including those in financial services, pharmaceuticals and oil companies that regularly transfer staff between the US and Europe.
Household goods and personal items tend to be sent infrequently and shippers know little if anything about the senders.
Moreover, household goods often are heavily wrapped and can have mixed items such as stereos and computers in the same crate, increasing risks.
