AWB — Air Waybill
The air waybill: the contract of carriage and the key document behind every air shipment.
Technical definition
Non-negotiable document issued by the airline (or its agent) evidencing the contract of carriage. It carries the cargo description, routing, weights, number of pieces and conditions. The number is built from a 3-digit airline prefix + 8 digits (e.g. 045-12345678). The last digit is a check digit.
In plain terms
The AWB (air waybill) is the document that travels with your cargo. It works as the contract of carriage between shipper and airline, and as the number used to track the shipment.
How it works in Chile
On Chilean exports the AWB is normally issued by the forwarder or the airline once the booking is closed. It is the number the shipper uses to follow the cargo (cherries to China, salmon to the US) and the one that shows up in status notifications.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up the MAWB (airline ↔ forwarder) with the HAWB (forwarder ↔ shipper).
- Weights or piece counts that don't match the packing list, which triggers discrepancies at destination.
- Getting the airline prefix wrong and tracking an AWB that doesn't exist.