Almost nobody should air freight a household. Almost everybody moving a long way should air freight something, because the alternative is six weeks of buying things you already own.
We connect your enquiry with a vetted international moving company from our network that can price air and sea side by side rather than assuming one of them.
Published timings put Heathrow to the main US gateways at roughly three to eight days door to door depending on the destination and the clearance, against several weeks for anything on a ship.
air freight runs in days rather than weeks and is priced on chargeable weight, so it suits clothes, work equipment and essentials while the container follows by sea.
Air freight is priced on chargeable weight, which is the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight. Light bulky items such as duvets and lampshades are the classic way to be surprised by an air quote.
Air freight is not priced by weight alone. Carriers calculate a volumetric weight from the size of the consignment and charge on whichever figure is higher, which is why a box of pillows can cost more to fly than a box of books.
That single rule decides what belongs on a plane. Dense, small, valuable and urgent items are cheap to fly relative to their usefulness. Light, bulky and replaceable items are the opposite.
Timings from Heathrow to the main gateways run in days rather than weeks, but clearance at the far end still applies, so a promise of two days in the air is not a promise of two days to your door.
Work equipment, a child's essentials, medication, a fortnight of clothes. That list is your air shipment and it is usually smaller than people expect.
Chargeable weight is the greater of actual and volumetric, so bulk matters as much as weight on this route.
On some inland destinations the gap between air and sea narrows considerably once the inland leg is counted.
| ❗ | Furniture of any size, which is almost always cheaper and safer by sea. |
| ❗ | Duvets, pillows and soft furnishings, which are light, bulky and expensive on chargeable weight. |
| ❗ | Anything easily and cheaply replaced at the far end. |
| ❗ | Aerosols, batteries and flammable items, which face separate restrictions in the air. |
| ❗ | Alcohol, which is dutiable and awkward whichever way it travels. |
Published timings put Heathrow to the main US gateways at roughly three to eight days door to door, depending on destination and clearance.
On chargeable weight, which is the greater of the actual weight and a volumetric weight calculated from the size of the consignment.
Because volumetric weight exceeded actual weight. Bulky lightweight items are the most common reason an air quote comes back higher than expected.
Almost never. It is priced for urgency, not for volume, and a household by air costs many times the sea equivalent.
Work equipment, a few weeks of clothes, anything a child needs, and documents. Enough to live normally while the container is at sea.
Yes. Goods arriving separately from you need the same declaration as a sea shipment, including the one year use test.
Sometimes that is cheaper for very small shipments. Ask for excess baggage to be priced alongside air freight.
For small consignments to inland destinations, occasionally, once the road or rail leg after a sea arrival is counted. It is worth pricing both.
On chargeable weight, which is the greater of the actual weight and a volumetric figure calculated from the size of the consignment.
Send your collection address, your US destination, your dates and a list of what you cannot wait weeks for. A moving company from our network prices air and sea beside each other.
Send your move detailsA Working Member of AGM Group. Enquiries are connected with vetted FIDI FAIM certified and BAR Overseas accredited international moving companies from the network.
We do not carry freight. Air shipments are booked and handled by the moving company we connect you with.
Written by Darren Benjamin, Founder.