AF2u—Air Cargo Transportation & Air Waybills

Subscriber price: $215.00, Non-subscriber price: $280.00
Estimated total study time: 16 hours 18 minutes

This is the second course in GISTnet's career development sequence in U.S. air forwarding. It begins with the basic issue of why shippers use air freight, when it is cost-justified, and the range of cargo that can be shipped by air. Additional in-depth topics include shipment time factors and carrier routing, air cargo pick-up and delivery, air freight rates and charges, air waybill preparation in detail, IATA's e-Freight program (electronic air waybills), and concluding with cargo consolidation and co-loading practices.

Entry-level staff (trainees) would be well served to have completed GISTnet AF1u prior to this course. For forwarding personnel with operational experience learned through on-the-job learning, this course will fill in the gaps in their understanding of the above topics. This course is especially helpful for a person experienced in domestic air forwarding wishing to advance into international forwarding.

Cargo Suitable for Air Shipment

(Estimated study time: 1 hour 8 minutes)

• Introduction
• Why Ship by Air?
  • Air Cargo Benefits
  • Air Cargo Limitations
  • Value-added and Integrated Air Shipment Services
• Types of Cargo Suitable for Air Shipment
  • Small Packages—The Earliest Commercial Air Cargo
  • General Cargo
  • Air Shipment Operational Characteristics and Limitations
    • General—Air Shipments Primarily Limited by Size and Weight
    • Points of Service vs. Aircraft Size
    • Air Cargo Containerization
    • Charter Aircraft Options to Meet Various Needs
      • General—Air Charters Expand Air Transportation Options
      • Shipment Urgency
      • Locations Not Served by Scheduled Airlines
      • Shipments Requiring Extra High Security
      • Large Regular Cargo Flows
      • Peak Season or Backlogged Transportation
      • Outsized or Very Heavy Cargo Items

Shipments that Justify Air Shipment

(Estimated study time: 40 minutes)

• Introduction
• Shipments that Justify Air Transportation
  • General—Cost-Justifying Air Shipment
  • High Urgency Shipments that Require the Shortest Available Transit Time
  • High Security Shipments
  • Small Shipments
  • Remote/Isolated Locations
  • Tools of the Trade; Personal Effects
  • Entertainment & Athletic Group Equipment
  • Fairs/Exhibitions/Artwork
  • Live Animals
  • Human Remains

Air Cargo that Requires Special Handling and/or May Be Restricted

(Estimated study time: 42 minutes)

• General—Shipper Responsibilities for Cargo Requiring Special Handling
• Cargo Temperature Sensitivity and Control
  • Temperature Ranges during Air and Ground Transportation
  • Protecting Products Sensitive to Temperature Extremes
  • Air Shipment of Products that Require Temperature Control

Air Cargo That Requires Special Handling and/or May Be Restricted, cont.

(Estimated study time: 33 minutes)

• Introduction
• In-Bond Cargo (Cargo under Customs Control)
  • In-Bond Cargo (under Customs Control) (U.S.)
• Air Shipment of Dangerous Goods
  • General Dangerous Goods Requirements
    • U.S Dangerous Goods Regulations
  • Both International and National Dangerous Goods Regulations Apply
  • Airline Restrictions on Acceptance of Dangerous Goods
  • Training Required to Handle Dangerous Goods
    • Training Required to Handle Dangerous Goods (U.S.)

Air Shipment Time and Distance Factors

(Estimated study time: 40 minutes)

• Introduction
• Domestic and Regional Air Shipment
  • General
  • Example of Time-Cost Comparison Between Air and All-Truck Shipment
• International Air Shipment
  • Additional Requirements for International Shipments
  • Multimodal International Shipping as Alternative to All-Air Shipment
• Substituted/Expedited Truck Services

Air Shipment Time Factors—Truck Pick-up & Delivery

(Estimated study time: 1 hour 0 minutes)

• Introduction
• Air Cartage/Drayage
  • Airport Truckers and Trucking Companies
  • Airport Trucking Operational Patterns
    • The Air Cargo Cartage Daily Cycle
    • Cargo Recovery from the Airport for Delivery
    • Cargo Delivery
    • Cargo Pick-Up—Scheduling
    • Cargo Pick-up—Required Information
    • Air Cartage "Specials"
  • Airport Trucker Qualification & Selection

Types of Air Cargo "Carriers"

(Estimated study time: 35 minutes)

• Types of Air Cargo "Carriers"
  • Direct Carriers (Airlines)
  • Indirect Carriers (Air Forwarders)
  • Integrated Carriers

Air Freight Shipment Costs

(Estimated study time: 55 minutes)

• General—Freight Charges by Airlines vs. Forwarders
• Air Cargo Tariffs
  • General—Airlines Publish Tariffs, Forwarders Do Not
  • Air Cargo Rate Tariff—Types of Rates
  • Applicability of Rules Tariffs vs. Rate Tariffs

Air Freight Shipment Costs, cont.

(Estimated study time: 32 minutes)

• Shipper-Carrier Contract Rates & Service Contracts
• Truck (Cartage/Drayage) Charges
• Forwarding Fees and Advances

Shipper and Air Carrier Responsibilities and Liability

(Estimated study time: 1 hour 0 minutes)

• Introduction
• Shipper and Air Carrier Responsibilities and Liability
  • International Rules – Warsaw Convention + Montreal Protocol 4
  • Carrier's Responsibilities and Liability Limits under Montreal Protocol 4
  • Shipper's Responsibilities under Montreal Protocol 4

Air Waybills ("Air waybills")

(Estimated study time: 1 hour 14 minutes)

• Introduction
• General—Air Transportation Contract of Carriage, Terms and Conditions
• Functions of an Air Waybill
• Air Waybill Documents
  • Air waybill Format—General
  • Air waybill Sets and Distribution
  • Electronic Cargo Shipment Record (e-AWB)
• Air Waybill Issuance
• Who Prepares an Air Waybill
• Automated Airline and Forwarder Shipment Systems

Air Waybill Information Fields

(Estimated study time: 54 minutes)

• Introduction
• Review of Air Waybill Functions
• International vs. Domestic Air Waybills
• Paper Format AWB as a Study Guide
• Issuing Carrier Identification, Terms and Conditions
• Air Waybill Number
• Shipper Information Fields

Air Waybill Information Fields, part 2

(Estimated study time: 51 minutes)

• Introduction
• Consignee Information Fields
• Issuing Carrier's Agent (Forwarder) Field
• Accounting Information (Also Notify Party)
• Departure & Destination Airports
• Flight Routing

Air Waybill Information Fields, part 3

(Estimated study time: 42 minutes)

• Introduction
• Specification of Currency and Charges (Prepaid/Collect)
• Declared Value for Carriage
• Declared Value for Customs
• Insurance Field

Air Waybill Information Fields, part 4

(Estimated study time: 1 hour 3 minutes)

• Introduction
• Handling Information
• Cargo Line-Item information
  • General—When Multiple Line-Items Needed
  • Pieces, Gross Weight
  • Chargeable Weight—Cargo Tendered Loose (not Containerized)

Air Waybill Information Fields, part 5

(Estimated study time: 1 hour 1 minute)

• Introduction
• Chargeable Weight—Cargo Tendered in Shipper-Packed Containers
• Freight Charge—Rate Class, Rate/Charge and Line Total
• Nature and Quantity of Goods

Air Waybill Information Fields, part 6

(Estimated study time: 55 minutes)

• Itemization of Prepaid and Collect Charges
• Nature and Quantity of Goods
• Shipper Certification & Signature
• Carrier Signature
• Distribution & Use of Air Waybill Originals and Copies (Paper Procedure)

IATA e-Freight; Air Cargo Consolidation

(Estimated study time: 1 hour 1 minute)

• Introduction
• IATA e-Freight
  • e-Freight Background
  • Scope of e-Freight Electronic Messages
  • Current e-Freight Implementation Status
  • Concerns when Using the e-Freight Environment to Exchange Information
• Air Cargo Consolidation
  • Why Air Cargo Consolidation?
  • What Air Forwarders Offer Cargo Consolidation?
  • How Do Forwarders Achieve the Volume to Provide Frequent Cargo Consolidations to Many Destinations?

Air Forwarder Consolidation Co-Loading

(Estimated study time: 52 minutes)

• Introduction
• Air Cargo Consolidation & Co-Loading Process Overview
• Air Cargo Consolidation Gateway and Re-Consolidation Network Overview