Cargo Basics PDF

AIR CARGO GUIDE – The official scheduling guide for scheduled air freight services, published by the Official Airline Guides (OAG). It contains current Domestic and International cargo flight schedules, including freighter, wide body and combination passenger – cargo flights. Each monthly issue also...

AIR CARGO GUIDE – The official scheduling guide for scheduled air freight services, published by the Official Airline Guides (OAG). It contains current Domestic and International cargo flight schedules, including freighter, wide body and combination passenger – cargo flights. Each monthly issue also contains information on air carriers’ special services, airline and aircraft decoding, airport codes, air carrier and freight forwarders directory, customs information, glossary of ULD terms and information, cargo charter airlines, interline air freight agreements, aircraft loading charts and more. Air Freight Property other than mail. Express or passenger baggage tendered to an airline for transportation. Air Waybill (Airbill) A shipping document used by the airlines for air freight. It serves as a contract for carriage and includes carrier conditions of carriage such as limits of liability and claims procedures. The air waybill also contains shipping instructions to the airline, a description of the commodity, and applicable transportation charges. The airline industry has adopted a standard formatted air waybill that accommodates both domestic and international traffic. Baggage Passenger personal property or other passenger articles transported in connection with a journey. Unless otherwise specified, it includes both checked and unchecked baggage. Baggage Cart A towed vehicles used for ramp transport of bulk freight, baggage, and mail. Belly, Pits or Holds Compartments located beneath the cabin of an aircraft and used for the carriage of cargo and passenger baggage. Bulk Cargo Loose cargo, not unitized, not loaded in containers or on pallets. Cargo Aircraft Aircraft for the carriage of cargo only, rather than the combination of passengers and cargo. Cargo aircraft carry palletized or containerized traffic on the main deck and either unitized or bulk cargo on the lower deck. Cargo aircraft are normally equipped with special cargo loading systems on the main deck. Cargo Agent An agent appointed by an airline to solicit and process international air freight for shipments. Cargo agents are paid commissions by the airline. Chargeable Weight The weight of the shipment used in determining air freight charges. The chargeable weight may be the dimensional weight or the actual scale weight of the shipment. Combi Airplane An airplane configured to carry both passengers and unitized cargo on the main deck. Consignee The person or firm whose name appears on the air waybill as the party to whom the goods are to be delivered by the carrier. Consignment Synonym for shipment. A shipment of one or more pieces of property, accepted by the carrier from one shipper at one time, receipted for in one lot, and moving on one air waybill. Consolidation A number of separate shipments that have been assembled into one shipment for movement on one air waybill from one location to another. Container A unit load device (ULD) which interfaces directly with the airplane cargo handling and restraint system. Convertible Airplane An airplane which can be converted from an all-passenger configuration to an all-cargo configuration or vice-versa, or to various configurations of passengers and cargo. Customs The designated government authority that regulates the flow of goods to/from a country and collects duties levied by a country on imports and exports. The term also applies to the procedures involved in such collection. Dangerous Goods The United Nation’s official term for Hazardous Materials. Articles or substances which are capable of posing a significant risk to the health or safety of the general public when transported by air and which are classified according to the most current editions of the ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air and the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. Declared Value for Carriage The value of goods declared to the carrier by the shipper for the purposes of determining charges of or establishing the limit of the carrier’s liability for loss,damage, or delay. Declared Value for Customs The selling price of the contents or the replacement cost if the contents are not for resale. The amount mush be equal to or greater than the declared value. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) A computerized system for communicating information about a shipment, including tracking and tracing, air waybill information and customs documentation. Export License A Government document which permits the “Licensee” to engage in the export of designated goods to certain destinations. General Commodity Rate (GCR) An air freight rate applicable to all commodities except those for which specific rates have been filed such rates are based on weight and distance and are published for each pair of cities an airline serves. Gross Weight Entire weight of a shipment including the weight of containers (tare weight) and packaging material. Hub and Spoke System An airline route pattern that directs traffic from many cities into a central hub designed to connect with other flights to final destinations. They system maximizes fleet utilization by connecting many markets through a central hub with fewer flights than would be required to connect each pair of cities in a point to point system. Igloo A structural or non-structural container contoured to the dimensions of a standard-body freighter main deck. Import License A document required and issued by some national governments authorizing the importation of goods into their individual countries. Lower Deck The compartment below the main deck (also called “lower love,’ ‘Lower hold,’ ‘pit’ or ‘belly’). Main Deck The deck on which the major portion of the payload is carried. Net Weight The total weight of a shipment less the weight of containers, pallets, nets or straps. Neutral Air Waybill A standard air waybill without identification of issuing carrier. Pallet A platform of standard dimensions on which goods are assembled and secured by nets and straps before being loaded as a unit onto an airplane. It has a flat undersurface to interface with ball, roller, or caster surfaces. Pallet Net A webbing or rope that can be secured to the pallet edges for restraining a pallet load. It may be used with a nonstructural container. Prepaid Charges The transportation trade practice under which the shipper pays transportation charges. Restraint System The system installed in the floor of an airplane compartment that secures the ULD onto the floor to prevent its movement during flight. Also, a net in front of the cargo load to protect the flight crew and/or passengers. Shipment One or more pieces of freight being transported under the contracted authority of one air waybill. Shipper’s Letter of Instruction A form used by a shipper to authorize an airline to issue an air waybill on the shipper’s behalf. The for contains all details of shipment and authorizes the airline to sign the air waybill in the name of the shipper. Specific Commodity Rates (SCR) Rates applicable to certain classes of commodities. Usually these rates are applied to commodities that move in large volume shipments in a given market. Hence, specific commodity rates re usually lower than the general commodity rate between the same pair of cities. Tare Weight The actual weight of a container or pallet when empty, including all liners and/or fittings. Tariff A document setting forth applicable rules, rates, and charges for the movement of goods. A tariff sets forth a contract of carriage for the shipper, the consignee, and the carrier. Tariffs are sometimes published by the carriers themselves and by a variety of publishing agencies, such as the Airline Tariff Publishing Company (ATPCO), The Air Cargo Tariff (TACT) and Cargo Rates Services, Inc. Tracking/Tracing A carriers system of following and recording movement intervals of shipments from origin to destination. Unit Load Device (ULD) Term commonly used when referring to containers, pallets and pallet nets. The purpose of the ULD is to enable individual pieces of cargo to be assembled into standardized units to ease the rapid loading and unloading of airplanes and to facilitate the transfer of cargo between airplanes have compatible handling and restraint systems. Abbreviations and Acronyms AWB- AIR WAYBILL EDI – ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE GCR – GENERAL COMMODITY RATES GMY – GREENWICH MEAN TIME HAZMAT- HAZARDOUS MATERIALS OAG – OFFICIAL AIRLINE GUIDE PAX- PASSENGER SCR – SPECIFIC COMMODITY RATE SED – SHIPPER’S EXPORT DECLARATION TACT – THE AIR CARGO TARIFF ULD – UNIT LOAD DEVICE