U.S. Airlines Warn of New Rules, Fees for Unscreened Freight

(DC Velocity – Mark B. Solomon)

Shippers using the nation’s air network after August 1, the deadline for screening all U.S. cargo moving in the bellies of passenger planes, should be prepared to tender their domestic freight much earlier than usual if they expect airlines to screen and inspect the goods prior to loading, according to industry experts.

Dave Brooks, president of American Airlines’ Cargo Division, said the airline will require customers to tender their freight six hours before the aircraft’s scheduled departure if they expect American to screen the goods and still meet the customers’ delivery commitments. American’s current cutoff time is four hours before departure, Brooks said. In addition, American will double its fees after August 1 for screening cargo before it is loaded, Brooks said. […]

By law, all domestic cargo shipped in the below-deck compartments of passenger planes as of August 1 must be certified as having been screened or inspected at some point in the supply chain before it can be loaded aboard the aircraft. In an effort to push the screening responsibility upstream, Congress created the Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP), a voluntary initiative that authorizes shippers and freight forwarders to screen and inspect cargo before it reaches the airline. Read more here.