Airfreight

Air freight is the fastest way to move belongings internationally, and the most expensive per kilo. It earns its cost in specific situations rather than as a default.

• You need things before your main shipment lands. Sea freight to Australia or New Zealand takes weeks. Sending a few boxes of clothes, documents and essentials by air bridges the gap.
• The consignment is small. A one-bedroom flat, a few items of furniture, or boxes only. Below a certain volume, air becomes competitive with a shared container once you account for the time saved.
• The contents are urgent or high value. Fewer handling points and a shorter transit means less exposure.

Many customers combine methods: priority items by air, everything else by sea in a 20ft or 40ft container. Your move coordinator will price both so you can compare.

Air freight is charged on chargeable weight, which is the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight. Volumetric weight reflects how much space a consignment occupies in the hold, so light bulky items such as bedding, lampshades and garden furniture cost more than their scale weight suggests.

What else affects the price:

• Destination airport and how frequently the route runs
• Whether you collect from the destination airport or want door-to-door delivery
• Packing, since air freight needs sturdier packing than sea and fragile items may need crating
• Customs clearance and any duties payable at the destination

You get an itemised quote covering all of it before anything is booked.

Airline safety rules are stricter than sea freight. These cannot be sent by air:

• Aerosols, paints, solvents and thinners
• Gas bottles, camping stoves and lighter fuel
• Petrol-powered tools unless fully drained and purged
• Batteries above the permitted watt-hour rating, including some e-bike and mobility batteries
• Fireworks, ammunition and flammable liquids of any kind

Tell your coordinator early if any of these are on your list. Some can travel by sea instead, and some cannot be shipped at all.