The US has quietly extended security restrictions on air cargo, effectively banning household goods carried on inbound US passenger aircraft after last month's attempted aircraft bombings.
Last Monday the cargo division of American Airlines wrote to customers to tell them it would ban all items that represented an "elevated risk" for 30 days in response to stricter security measures imposed by the US Department of Homeland Security.
Most other US carriers have followed suit, according to FIDI, an alliance of removal companies.
The group sent out an urgent notice to members on Wednesday, warning them of the additional temporary restrictions.
Regulators working with cargo and airline companies have increased their focus on security since an October alert in which two explosive devices were discovered in printer cartridges posted in Yemen and bound for Chicago synagogues.
In its letter, American Airlines said the ban would apply for at least 30 days 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.
The embargo affects all shipments destined for the US and is being enforced by US airlines, but industry executives said European airlines looked poised to impose similar bans.
Household goods are already banned on passenger flights out of the US.
Team Allied, a European moving company, warned customers to expect "substantial transit delays due to the reduced cargo capacity" and increased costs because cargo aircraft freight rates were "significantly higher" than that for freight carried in the belly of passenger aircraft.
