MAWB — Master Air Waybill

The master waybill between airline and forwarder when cargo moves consolidated.

Technical definition

Master Air Waybill issued by the airline in the name of the freight forwarder. It covers the full consolidation; each shipper's HAWB hangs underneath it. It defines the airline–forwarder contractual relationship.

In plain terms

The MAWB is the 'master' air waybill the airline issues to the forwarder when several shipments travel consolidated on the same flight.

How it works in Chile

On perishable consolidations out of Chile, the forwarder books the space and receives the MAWB from the airline; each shipper inside that consolidation gets its own HAWB.

Common mistakes

  • Treating the MAWB as the shipper's document (that's the HAWB).
  • Failing to reconcile HAWB weights against the MAWB.

How it connects to Skymetrics

Skymetrics keeps the MAWB ↔ HAWB relationship organized per shipment, so forwarder and shipper see the same trace without getting lost between master and house waybills.
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