Air waybill

How it is used

Usually shortened to AWB. Unlike a bill of lading, it is not a document of title, so the goods are released to the named consignee. Forwarders issue a house AWB (HAWB) under the airline's master AWB (MAWB). The number starts with the airline's three-digit prefix.

Example sentences

1. Please send me the air waybill number so that I can track the cargo on the airline's website.

2. The consignee's address on the air waybill was wrong, so the goods were held at the airport.

Common collocations

• air waybill number
• master air waybill
• house air waybill
• issue an air waybill

Related terms

• air freightThe transport of goods by plane, either in the hold of passenger aircraft or on dedicated cargo planes; fast but expensive.
• bill of ladingA document issued by a sea carrier that confirms the goods were received for shipment, sets out the terms of carriage and, in its negotiable form, gives the right to collect the cargo.
• consigneeThe person or company to whom goods are sent and who is entitled to receive them at the destination, as named on the transport document.
• chargeable weightThe weight used to calculate the freight charge: the higher of the actual gross weight and the volumetric weight worked out from the shipment's dimensions.
• freight forwarderA company that organizes shipments for its customers: it books space with carriers, prepares documents and arranges customs, insurance and delivery.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• air waybill · International Trade

More terms: Shipping Documents

• commercial invoice
• packing list
• delivery note
• CMR
• certificate of origin