General Industry Terms

Front 1

Airport-to-airport

Back 1

Transport from an airport of origin to an airport of destination

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Airport-to-Door

Back 2

Transport from an airport of origin to a final consignee’s business address

Front 3

Door-to-door

Back 3

Transport from an initial shipper’s business address to a final consignee’s business address

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Door-to-Port

Back 4

Transport from an initial shipper’s business address to an airport of destination

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AOG

Back 5

Aircraft On Ground ; materials expedited for repair of a grounded aircraft

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AWB

Back 6

Air Waybill

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Booking

Back 7

Request for reservation of space on a flight/day, (to be) confirmed by the airline

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Break Bulk Agent

Back 8

A forwarder breaking the bulk: taking care of the unpacking and sorting of goods after the flight

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Broker

Back 9

Person who acts as an agent or intermediary in negotiating contracts ; sometimes refers to a forwarder role

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Bulk Cargo

Back 10

Loose cargo not loaded on an ULD

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Cargo Aircraft

Back 11

Aircraft built with the purpose of carrying nothing else than cargo

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Carriage

Back 12

Transport ; the process of conveying cargo from one point to another

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Certificate of Origin

Back 13

A certificate proving the country of original production of goods ; used for customs declaration purposes

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Collect

Back 14

Charges as stated on the air waybill to be collected from the consignee

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Prepaid

Back 15

Charges as stated on the air waybill to be collected from the shipper

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Claim

Back 16

A written complaint about the execution of a contract of transportation by a carrier, combined with a demand for financial compensation

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CNEE

Back 17

Consignee

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Commodity

Back 18

Indication of the type of goods ; commodities are coded according to the harmonised system

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Commodity code

Back 19

Code used in the Harmonised System for the classification of goods, which are mostcommonly produced and traded

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Consignee

Back 20

The person or company that is physically and administratively responsible for accepting the goods at final delivery

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Consolidation

Back 21

A collection of shipments belonging to different shippers travelling to one destination or area to be distributed to several consignees

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Consolidator

Back 22

A forwarder consolidating shipments before a flight ; these shipments belonging to different shippers and travelling to one destination or area in order to be distributed to several consignees after the flight

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Courier

Back 23

Company that carries envelopes and parcels up to 75 kg from door to door ; air transport is generally outsourced to airlines

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Customs Agent / Broker (Certified)

Back 24

Party certified to handle the customs clearance on account of importers / exporters

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Customs invoice

Back 25

(Pro forma) Invoice for import declaration (customs and statistics) purposes, stating the commercial price, added with the costs for freight, insurance and packing etc., terms of delivery and payment

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Customs value

Back 26

Value of goods to be imported for import declaration (customs and statistics) purposes

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Dangerous Goods

Back 27

Goods that can be hazardous for health, flight-safety or materials

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DG

Back 28

Dangerous Goods

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DGR

Back 29

Dangerous Goods Regulations (IATA)

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Dimensional Weight (Conversion)

Back 30

Concept adopted by the transportation industry worldwide as a uniform means of establishing a minimum charge for the cubic space a package occupies ; the volume is converted into a (higher) weight / price class

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DIMS

Back 31

Dimensions

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Domestic transport

Back 32

Transport within a country

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Duty

Back 33

Tax imposed on goods imported from another country

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EDI

Back 34

Electronic Data Interchange

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Equipment

Back 35

Materials needed to handle or transport goods

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FAK

Back 36

Freight All Kinds

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Forwarder

Back 37

Company specialized in providing door-to-airport transport, arranging connecting air transport and/or airport-to-door transport for parcels and consolidations > 75 kg or up to anything that fits in an aircraft ; the air transport is generally outsourced to airlines and sometimes aircraft operators or air charter companies

Front 38

Forwarder network

Back 38

A network existing of different smaller to medium sized forwarding companies all over the world working together

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Freighter

Back 39

Aircraft built with the purpose of carrying nothing else than cargo

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Fuel surcharge

Back 40

Surcharge added to the cargo rate to cover the additional costs of increasing fuel-prices ; these will generally folow a certain index

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Full charter

Back 41

Chartering the full available volume of an aircraft or flight/day

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Handling Agent

Back 42

Agent handling the ramp and/or warehouse cargo operation for an airline

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Harmonised System

Back 43

A numeric multi purpose system for the classification of goods with its six digits covering about 5000 descriptions of the products or groups of products most commonly produced and traded, designed for customs purposes, but can also be used for statistics, transport purposes, export, import and manufacturing; the international convention on the HS was established under auspices of the World Customs Organisation in 1983

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Haulage

Back 44

Inland transport of cargo

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HAWB

Back 45

House Air Waybill

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House Air Waybill

Back 46

The shipment contract between the end-customer and the forwarder

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Hub

Back 47

Central point in a transport system or network

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IATA

Back 48

International Air Transport Association

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IATA-Agent

Back 49

An IATA certified agent

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ICAL

Back 50

Inbound Cargo Action List

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ICAO

Back 51

International Civil Aviation Organisation

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Inco terms

Back 52

Internationally agreed set of standard delivery terms

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Intermodal Transport

Back 53

The movement of cargo in a supply chain by more than one mode of transport ; for example road/air or sea/air transport

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KG

Back 54

Kilos

Front 55

License, import / export

Back 55

Governmental permit to import / export certain goods under certain conditions

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Line item

Back 56

Order line, each line on a packing list or invoice to be declared for customs

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Lower deck

Back 57

The (cargo) deck below the main deck or upper deck of an aircraft

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Main deck

Back 58

Upper deck ; the (cargo) deck above the lower deck of an aircraft

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Master Air Waybill

Back 59

The shipment contract between the forwarder and the airline

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MAWB

Back 60

Master Air Waybill

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Minimum Rate

Back 61

Rate to cover the basic costs of carrying a shipment

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Notify address

Back 62

Address of a party other than the consignee to be notified of arrival of the goods

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Notify party

Back 63

Party other than the consignee to be notified of arrival of the goods

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NVOCC

Back 64

Non Vessel Operating/Owning Cargo Carrier ; in case of Air Cargo a Carrier (e.g. a Forwarder or Consolidator) who issues Air Waybills for the carriage of cargo on aircraft which he does not operate or own

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Oversized cargo

Back 65

Cargo that exceeds the dimensions of an ULD

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Package

Back 66

Packed piece of cargo

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Packing list

Back 67

A list for customs declaration and consignment purposes stating number and kinds of packages being shipped, totals of gross, legal, and net weights of the packages, marks and numbers on the packages, contents and part-/serialnumbers

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Pallet

Back 68

A (standardized) platform on which goods can be stacked for transport or warehouse handling purposes

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Pallet net

Back 69

A net used to secure the cargo on the aircraft pallet

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Pre-alert

Back 70

Message stating the current and or expected status of the goods

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Routing

Back 71

The path that is (to be) followed by the goods from shipper to consignee

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Security surcharge

Back 72

Surcharge added to the cargo rate to cover the additional costs of the increasing number of security checks and related administration that are legally required by the authorities

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Shipper

Back 73

The person or company that is physically and administratively responsible for shipping the goods ; for an airline in most cases a forwarder will be the shipper, for a forwarder the shipper is a third party, for example a trading company, a manufacturer, etc.

Front 74

Shipper’s Letter of Instruction

Back 74

Document issued by the shipper to instruct and authorize the forwarder to forward and declare goods on his behalf ; contains all shipment details needed to facilitate these services

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Skid

Back 75

Pallet

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SLI

Back 76

Shipper’s Letter of Instruction

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TEMP

Back 77

Temperature

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Tracing

Back 78

Retrieving (information on) the status of goods and documents

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Tracking

Back 79

Regular checking on the status of goods and documents

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Track & Trace

Back 80

Automated regular retrieval of (information on) the status of goods and documents and checking these against the agreed norms

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Transfer cargo

Back 81

Transfer of cargo from one flight to another

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ULD

Back 82

Unit Load Device

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ULD, contoured

Back 83

Unit Load Device shaped to exactly fit in an aircraft

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UNACC

Back 84

Unaccompanied

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Unit Load Device

Back 85

Standardized air cargo loading equipment (pallet, container)

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Upper deck

Back 86

Main deck ; the (cargo) deck above the lower deck of an aircraft

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VAT

Back 87

Value Added Tax

Front 88

Weight charge

Back 88

Air transport charge based on the actual weight of the goods

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Bill of lading (B/L)

Back 89

This is the official legal document that represents ownership of cargo; the negotiable document to receive cargo; and, the contract for cargo between shipper and carrier.

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Box

Back 90

Another (less formal) name for a shipping container. This is how they are often referred to in the industry.

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Break bulk

Back 91

loose cargo, such as cartons, stowed directly in the ship's hold as opposed to containerized or bulk cargo. The volume of break bulk cargo has declined dramatically worldwide as containerization has grown.

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Bulk cargo

Back 92

commodity cargo that is transported unpackaged in large quantities. These cargos are usually dropped or poured as a liquid or solid, into a bulk carrier's hold. Examples of bulk cargo are grain, seed, and coal and iron ore.

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Carrier

Back 93

any individual, company or corporation engaged in transporting goods. Container shipping lines are sometimes referred to as ocean carriers.

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Charter rate

Back 94

a rate for shipping freight agreed upon between the owner of a vessel and the person wanting to use the vessel (the 'charterer').

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Container

Back 95

a reusable steel rectangular box for carrying cargo that first came into common use about 50 years ago. The sizes of containers are standardized so that they can easily be moved between specially adapted containers ships, trains and trucks.

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Container terminal

Back 96

a docking, unloading and loading area within a port designed to suit the sizes and needs of container ships.

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FEU 'Forty-foot Equivalent Unit'

Back 97

This is a container that is the same height and width as a TEU but twice the length. As a result, it has twice the capacity.

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Freight rates

Back 98

The charge made by a shipping line for the transportation of freight aboard one of its ships from one place to another.

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Intermodal

Back 99

a system whereby standard-sized cargo containers can be moved seamlessly between different 'modes' of transport, typically specially adapted ships known as containerships, barges, trucks and trains. Because the cargo does not need to be unloaded from the container every time it is moved from one mode to the other it is a very efficient and fast system of transportation.

Front 100

International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)

Back 100

prescribes the numbers of lifeboats and other emergency equipment that ships must have, as well as safety procedures including continuous radio watches when a ship is at sea.

Front 101

International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Back 101

a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping and to prevent marine pollution from ships. It is also involved in legal matters, including liability and compensation issues and the facilitation of international maritime traffic.

Front 102

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

Back 102

an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. It was the ISO that prescribed the standard size of shipping containers to make global container trade more efficient.

Front 103

International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code)

Back 103

a code agreed between the signatories of the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) on minimum security arrangements for ships, ports and Coast Guard agencies. The Code was introduced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the overseer of the original SOLAS agreement, in the wake of fears of terrorist attacks on ships and ports after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001.

Front 104

Manifest

Back 104

a list of cargo being carried by a ship as declared by the shipper.

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Reefer

Back 105

Industry term for a temperature-controlled container. Inside each one is a complex system of coils, wires and electrical fittings, which are managed by a computer that controls everything from the temperature and humidity to ventilation and gas levels, all working to prevent the deterioration of fresh food or other sensitive goods over long distances and periods of time.

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Shipper

Back 106

any person or organization paying for its cargo to be shipped from one place to another.

Front 107

TEU - 'Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit'.

Back 107

This is the industry standard to measure containers. A 20-foot container's dimensions are twenty feet long (6.09 meters), 8 feet wide (2.4 meters) and 8 feet six inches high (2.6 meters). These dimensions have been set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

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US Customs - Trade Partner Against Terrorism (C-TPAT)

Back 108

a voluntary supply chain security program led by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and focused on improving the security of companies' supply chains with respect to terrorism.

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Vessel

Back 109

another word for a boat or ship. Container ships are sometimes referred to as vessels.

Front 110

World Customs Organization (WCO)

Back 110

an intergovernmental organization comprised of customs administrations from 170 countries who participate to communicate and co-operate on customs issues.