Professional knowledge

1. Common terms about cargo transportation

• Cargo: Except mails and the shipper's baggage to be transported against "passenger ticket and baggage ticket", it means any article that has been or will be transported by aircraft, including baggage to be transported against airway bill.
• Cargo consignment bill: It means the written document completed by the shipper when he goes through the procedures of cargo consignment. It's the evidence according to which an airway bill is issued.
• Airway bill: Completed by the shipper or the carrier under the entrustment of the shipper, it is the evidence of contract between the shipper and the carrier for the transportation of goods on the carrier's airlines.
• Carrier: It means the air carrier that issues an airway bill for the shipper or keeps cargo record and all the air carriers that that transport or engage in goods transportation or provide transportation service.
• Agent: It means any person that is authorised to represent the carrier in air cargo transportation.
• Consignor: It means the person that signs a contract with the carrier for cargo transportation and signs the airway bill or cargo record.
• Consignee: It means the person to whom the carrier delivers the cargo according to the name indicated on the airway bill or cargo record.
• Freight: It means the air transportation price for sending cargo from the departing airport to the destination airport, exclusive of the expenses of land transportation from airport to urban area or between two airports of one city and the other expenses.

1. Inspection
   1. Inspect the shipper's materials and documents necessary for cargo transportation;
   2. Inspect whether the cargo consignment bill is tidily and entirely completed.
   3. Inspect whether the cargo weight and dimensions exceed the limits for air transportation.
   4. Inspect whether the cargo package is intact and in conformity with the requirements of air transportation or the carrier's requirements.
   5. Insect whether the cargo mark is consistent with the content provided in the cargo consignment bill.
2. Check whether the quantity of cargo is consistent with that as indicated in the cargo consignment bill.
3. Weigh the cargo.
4. Prepare airway bill.
5. Calculate and collect cargo freight.
6. In order to guarantee the safety of a flight, the carrier should carry out examinations to the collected cargo, this in accordance with the provisions of Rules on Domestic Cargo Transportation. The cargo that requires loading and transportation within 24 hours after collection should be unpacked and examined or pass examination by safety inspection device.

• For emergency cargo, the carrier should arrange transportation by the earliest flight.
• For the cargo that needs emergency transportation, the shipper should indicate dispatching date and flight number on the waybill, and the carrier should transport the cargo according to the specified date and flight number. For the cargo that needs emergency through transportation, the carrier must get the consent of the relevant air stations for through transportation before accepting the cargo.
• For the cargo that needs to be transported within a definite time, the shipper and the carrier shall reach an agreement on the arrival date and indicate the date on the waybill. The carrier should send the cargo to the destination airport within the specified time limit.
• For ordinary cargo to be transported through main-line flights, the carrier should dispatch the cargo within the maximum of four days.
• For ordinary cargo to be transported through branch-line flights, the carrier should dispatch the cargo within the maximum of eight days.

Each airway bill is made in eight copies, including three originals and five duplicates. The three originals have same legal effect.

1. The 1st copy, copy A: Original 3, blue, for shipper. This copy is used as the evidence of the shipper's payment of freight and handing over of the cargo to the carrier for transportation.
2. The 2nd copy, copy B: Original 1, green, for financial department. This copy is to be submitted to the financial department as the evidence of the collection of freight.
3. The 3rd copy, copy C: Duplicate 7, white, for the first carrier: This copy is retained by the first carrier for submitting to its financial department as the evidence of settlement.
4. The 4th copy, copy D: Original 2, pink, for consignee. This copy is submitted to the consignee at the destination airport.
5. The 5th copy, copy E: Duplicate 4, yellow, for cargo delivery. The consignee signs this copy when taking delivery of cargo and the signed copy is retained by the carrier as the evidence of cargo delivery to the consignee.
6. The 6th copy, copy F: Duplicate 5, white, for destination airport. This copy is retained by the destination airport and can also be used as the copy for the third carrier, who may submit this copy to its financial department as an evidence of settlement.
7. The 7th copy, copy G: duplicate 6, white, for the second carrier. This copy is, as an evidence of settlement, retained by the second carrier for submitting to its financial department.
8. The 8th copy, copy H: Duplicate 8, white, for the agent (the copy of counterfoil). The AWB issuer for future reference retains this copy.
9. The three originals of a waybill have same legal effect and are respectively held by the carrier, the consignee and the shipper. These originals should respectively be signed or sealed by the shipper as well as the carrier after the cargo is received.
10. The copy for the carrier should be kept for two years from the date of issuance.

special task, by weather or by any other Force Majeure event and the transportation plan needs to be changed thereby, the carrier should notify the consignee or shipper timely and consult with them for solution.

The carrier should handle freight in accordance with the following regulations:

• When the cargo is returned at the starting airport, the freight should be entirely refunded.
• When the destination airport is changed at a midway airport, the freight for the unused legs should be refunded and the freight for all the cargo from the midway airport to the new destination airport should be recalculated and collected.
• When the cargo is sent back to the starting airport from a midway airport, all the freight should be refunded.
• When the cargo is transported to the designation airport by other means of transportation from a midway station, the carrier should undertake the additional expenses.

6. The time limit for claims
In case of cargo damage or delay, the consignee or the shipper should raise dissent to the carrier after the discovery of damage or delay. Any dissent should be written in the certification of transportation or raised in a separate document.
Except for the carrier's fraudulent conduct, the consignee or shipper will lose the right of claiming against the carrier if they fail to raise dissent to the carrier. This must be done within the following time limits and claim for compensation from the carrier in written form, within two years from the happening of damage or delay:
(1) In case of cargo damage, the consignee or shipper should raise dissent within the maximum of 14 days after the cargo is received.
(2) In case of delay, the consignee or shipper should raise dissent within the maximum of 21 days after the cargo is handed over to the consignee for his disposal.
(3) In case of destruction or loss of cargo, the consignee or the shipper should raise dissent within the maximum of 120 days after the corresponding airway bill is issued.