(1) Air transport company
An air transport company is the actual carrier in the air cargo transportation business. It is responsible for handling the transportation from the departure airport to the arrival airport and is responsible for the entire transportation process.
(2) Air freight forwarding company
An air freight forwarding company can be the agent of the cargo owner, responsible for handling the booking of air cargo transportation, the delivery and receipt of goods at the departure airport and the arrival airport, and the import and export customs declaration. It can also be the agent of the airline company, handling the receipt of goods and issuing air waybills as the air carrier, and is responsible for the entire transportation process. It can also be a combination of the two.
(3) Air waybill
An air waybill is the main document for air cargo transportation. It is a written certificate of the transportation contract between the air carrier and the consignor, and is also a receipt issued by the carrier or its agent for receiving the goods. However, it is not a certificate of property rights. After the goods arrive at the destination, the consignee picks up the goods with the carrier’s arrival notice.
Airway bills can be divided into Master Air Waybill and House Air Waybill according to the issuer. The former is issued by the airline, and the latter is issued by the air freight forwarding company. The contents of the two are basically the same, and the legal effect is no different.
Air freight rate is the remuneration charged by the carrier for the air transportation of goods. It is only the freight rate from the departure airport to the arrival airport, and does not include other fees such as pickup, customs declaration, warehousing, etc. Air freight rates only apply to a single direction. Air freight rates are generally based on the actual weight (kilograms) and volume weight (6000 cubic centimeters or 336 cubic inches of volume equals 1 kilogram), whichever is higher. In view of the different nature and types of air transport goods, airlines have different calculation methods such as special cargo freight rates, grade freight rates, general cargo freight rates and container equipment freight rates.