Sea & airfreight
Sea & air freight
The choice between sea and air freight depends on the quantity and type of goods being moved. Time and money also plays a role in this decision.
Air freight
An air freight shipment is generally faster and can be more cost effective. An air freight shipment from Amsterdam to, for example, San Francisco takes an average of two to four days. However, commercial and perishable goods are usually given priority, which means that the airline may deviate from the originally booked flight schedule.
Sea freight
Sea freight takes longer – depending on the destination – but is usually cheaper. It is therefore important to start planning sea freight in time. To keep San Francisco as an example, sea freight from the Netherlands takes an average of 5 to 7 weeks. For sea freight shipments, we use 20ft (max 30m3) or 40ft (max 60m3) containers and sometimes 40ft HC (High Cube) containers with a maximum capacity of 64m3. If the volume of your goods is lower – from 1 to 20m3 – then Groupage is an option.
Please note: the above-mentioned transport times are an indication, customs formalities and continental transport are not included.
Air freight and sea freight
You can also opt for both: an air freight shipment for items you need right away, such as household items and items for the children – and items like furniture to be shipped in a sea container. If your new home is already available and your belongings are still on the way, we can advise you on temporarily renting furniture.
The packages we offer include sea freight but in many cases air freight is also an option.
Please contact us to find out which option is best for your move.
We will be happy to advise you on the planning and price of sea and/or air freight as well as take care of the administrative and customs formalities.
Below you will find a number of points of attention regarding sea and/or air freight shipments.
Points of attention Air freight
- In view of the strict requirements regarding the content and method of packing air freight, goods are always packed by us or one of our partners at your home.
- A number of types of goods are not allowed or limited in the air freight such as liquids, alcohol, lithium batteries and aerosols. We will inform you extensively about this when you book an air freight shipment with us.
- In order to make the best use of the space in an air freight crate, we do not recommend sending irregular shaped items by air freight. Think of a bicycle, tabletop, surfboard, office chair etc.
- The minimum volume for air freight is 1m3.
- Air freight can be followed by entering the Airway Bill number on track & trace.
Points of attention Sea freight
- You can choose to pack and load yourself or let us do it for you. If you do it yourself, we will send you detailed instructions.
- Via Big Schedules, you can look up ships and average sailing times.
- You can track your shipment by searching on the container number or BL (Bill of Lading) number via track & trace.
- For sea freight shipments to/from warm countries with a humid climate, we recommend to place moisture absorption packs in the container. They protect your goods against moisture and possible mold. These packs are usually not included in the price.
If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact us.