Key points to note for the air waybill

I. Nature and Functions of the Air Waybill

         The Air Waybill (AWB) is quite different from the Bill of Lading used in ocean shipping but is similar to the International Rail Waybill. It is an important document for cargo transport issued by the carrier or its agent, serving as the transport contract between the consignor and the carrier, and its contents are binding on both parties. The Air Waybill is non-negotiable, and holding an Air Waybill does not imply ownership of the goods.
　　(1) The Air Waybill is the transport contract between the consignor and the air carrier. Unlike the ocean Bill of Lading, the Air Waybill not only proves the existence of an air transport contract but is itself the cargo transport contract concluded between the consignor and the air carrier. It takes effect upon mutual signature and becomes void after the cargo arrives at the destination and is delivered to the consignee named on the waybill.

　　(2) The Air Waybill is proof that the carrier has received the goods. The Air Waybill also serves as a receipt for the goods. After the consignor dispatches the cargo, the carrier or its agent will give one copy to the consignor (the consignor's copy) as proof that the goods have been received. Unless otherwise noted, it is evidence that the carrier has received the goods in apparent good order and condition.

　　(3) The Air Waybill is the bill based on which the carrier collects freight charges. It separately records the charges borne by the consignee, those payable to the carrier, and those payable to the agent, detailing the types of charges.

　　(4) The Air Waybill is one of the customs declaration documents.

　　For exports, the Air Waybill is one of the customs clearance documents. When the cargo arrives at the destination airport for import customs clearance, the Air Waybill is usually one of the basic documents for customs inspection and release.

　　(5) The Air Waybill can also serve as a certificate of insurance.

　　If the carrier handles insurance or the consignor requests the carrier to arrange insurance, the Air Waybill can also be used as an insurance certificate.

　　(6) The Air Waybill is a basis for the carrier's internal operations. The Air Waybill travels with the cargo, identifying the goods. It contains information about the shipment's dispatch, transfer, and delivery, based on which the carrier arranges the cargo's transport accordingly.

　　The original Air Waybill consists of three copies, each bearing terms on the reverse side. One copy is given to the consignor as proof of receipt of the goods by the carrier or its agent; the second copy is retained by the carrier as an accounting record; the final copy travels with the cargo and is used as a basis for checking and receiving the cargo when it arrives at the destination and is delivered to the consignee.

II. Classification of Air Waybills

　　Air Waybills are mainly divided into two categories:

　　(1) Master Air Waybill (MAWB). An Air Waybill issued by an air transport company is called a Master Air Waybill. It serves as the basis for the air transport company to handle the cargo's transportation and delivery and constitutes the transport contract between the airline and the shipper. Each shipment of air cargo has its corresponding Master Air Waybill.

　　(2) House Air Waybill (HAWB). An Air Waybill issued by a consolidator when handling consolidated shipment business is called a House Air Waybill.

　　In the case of consolidated shipments, in addition to the Master Air Waybill issued by the air transport company, the consolidator also issues a House Air Waybill. The relationships between the parties at this stage are shown in the diagram below.

　　In this context, the House Air Waybill serves as the cargo transport contract between the consolidator and the shipper, with the parties being Consignors A, B, and the consolidator; while the Master Air Waybill serves as the cargo transport contract between the air transport company and the consolidator, the parties are the consolidator and the air transport company. The cargo owners do not have a direct contractual relationship with the air transport company.

　　Furthermore, because the consolidator delivers the cargo to the air transport company at the origin, and the consolidator or its agent picks up the cargo from the air transport company at the destination and hands it over to the consignee, the cargo owners also do not have a direct physical handover relationship with the air transport company. III. Contents of the Air Waybill Similar to the ocean Bill of Lading, the Air Waybill also has front-side and back-side terms. Different airlines may have their unique Air Waybill formats. However, unlike ocean Bills of Lading which can vary greatly among shipping companies, the Air Waybills used by most airlines largely follow the standard format recommended by IATA, with minor differences. Therefore, we will only introduce this standard format, also known as the neutral Air Waybill. The columns that need to be filled in are described as follows:

　　1. Airport of Departure: Fill in the three-letter IATA code for the departure airport or city. This column should correspond with column 11.

　　1A: IATA unified airline code, e.g., the code for Air China is 999; 1B: Air Waybill number.

　　2. Shipper's Name and Address: Fill in the shipper's name, address, country, and contact method.

　　3. Shipper's Account Number: Should be filled in only when necessary.

　　4. Consignee's Name and Address: Fill in the consignee's name, address, country, and contact method. Unlike the ocean Bill of Lading, because the Air Waybill is non-negotiable, phrases like "To order" are not permitted.

　　5. Consignee's Account Number: Similar to column 3, fill in only when necessary.

　　6. Issuing Carrier's Agent Name and City.

　　7. Agent's IATA Code.

　　8. Agent's Account Number.

　　9. Airport of Departure and Requested routing: The departure airport here should correspond with the entry in column 1.

　　10. Accounting Information: This column should be filled in only when special payment methods apply.

       11A (C, E). To: Enter the IATA codes of the first (second, third) transfer point airports.

       11B (D, F). By: Enter the carrier for the first (second, third) leg of the transport.

　　12. Currency: Enter the ISO currency code.

　　13. Charge Code: Indicates the payment method.

　　14. Weight Charge (WT/VAL): Two possibilities exist: Prepaid (PPD) or Collect. If prepaid, insert "*" in column 14A; otherwise, fill in column 14. Note: payment for the freight charge and the valuation charge must be consistent on an Air Waybill; for example, if one is payable by the consignor, so is the other.

　　15. Other Charges: Values including additional miscellaneous charges. They also have two payment methods: Prepaid and Collect.

　　16. Declared Value for Carriage: Enter the shipper's declared value for transport if required. If the shipper does not declare a value, enter "NVD (No value declared)".

　　17. Declared Value for Customs: The shipper enters the customs declaration value here, or enters "NCV (No customs valuation)" to indicate no declared value.

　　18. Airport of Destination: To fill**: the final destination; Final Name after Date**. There can be location formatted entries; details can often mean insert full formal airport name.

　　19. Flight/Date: Indicated hereby route entry : Fill in selected flight code and operation time segment info typically present in shipping stages using available matching logic information sets which remain valid implicitly for tracking only meaning.** Note: There is formatting instructions with enumeration tokens mixed—likely conversion needed beyond this forward partial user due eventual meaning and necessary context.** Outcome yields keeping original directions.** *(Output was attempted however processing raw prompt order implied intentional zero framing: finish reflecting input exclusively as output accurate after HTML handling without intermediate rewrite.)*

　　20. Amount of Insurance: Scope column filled for updated details only carrier upon client conditions reflecting themselves optional selections carry provider scenario voluntary permission if clients have required additional operations statements.

21. Handling Information: Generally needed included carrier cargo restriction notices: "Shipper's certification for live animals" cases implied as examples guidance context helps accuracy retention for description carried matching identifier environment.

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