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AF2u—Air Cargo Transportation & Air Waybills

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

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