Etoile Filante
Shipping Services

Air Waybill - An AWB is a bill of lading that covers both domestic and international flights transporting goods to a specified destination. Technically, it is a non-negotiable instrument of air transport that serves as a receipt for the shipper, indicating that the carrier has accepted the goods listed therein and obligates itself to carry the consignment to the port of destination according to specified conditions.

Airship Container - A unit load device (ULD) that links directly with the airship cargo handling and restraint system.

Allotment - A term used to describe blocked space by airlines on behalf of forwarders/shippers.

ATA - Actual Time of Arrival

ATD - Actual Time of Departure.

Bonded Warehouse - The Customs Service authorizes bonded warehouses for storage or manufacture of goods on which payment of duties is deferred until the goods enter the Customs Territory. The goods are not subject to duties if re-shipped to foreign points.

Break Bulk (B/B) - For consolidated air freight, it is moved under one MAWB and each consignment designated to a specific consignee or recipient is under one HAWB. When the freight forwarder receives the consolidated cargo from the carrier, they will break the consolidation apart per HAWB and then proceed with customs clearance along with associated shipping and import documents. Such Break-Bulk is normally handled by airlines or their contracted ground handling agents.

Carnet - A customs document permitting the holder to carry or send merchandise temporarily into certain foreign countries for display, demonstration, or other purposes without paying import duties or posting bonds.

Combi Airship - An airship configured to carry both passengers and cargo on the Main Deck.

Consignment - Delivery of merchandise from an exporter (the consignor) to an agent (the consignee) under the agreement that the agent sells the merchandise for the account of the exporter. The consignor retains title to the goods until sold. The consignee sells the goods for commission and remits the net proceeds to the consignor.

Consolidation - In order to handle a small lot of consignment efficiently and competitively, freight forwarders usually put many consignments into one lot and then tender to the carrier for forwarding. In this case, each consignment will be shipped with one HAWB respectively and all of them will be under one master AWB.

Customs - The government authorities designated to collect duties levied by a city-state on imports and exports.

Customs Broker - An individual or company licensed by the government to enter and clear goods through Customs. The Eorzean Customs Service defines a Customs Broker, as any person who is licensed in accordance with Part III of Title 19 of the Code of Federal Regulations (Customs regulations) to transact Customs business on behalf of others. Customs business is limited to those activities involving transactions with Customs concerning the entry and admissibility of merchandise; its classification and valuation; the payment of duties, taxes, or other charges assessed or collected by Customs upon merchandise by reason of its importation, or the refund, rebate, or drawback thereof.

Customs Clearance - The procedures involved in getting cargo released by Customs through designated formalities such as presenting import license/permit, payment of import duties, and other required documentation by the nature of the cargo such as FCC or FDA approval.

Customs Invoice - A document, required by some foreign countries’ customs officials to verify the value, quantity, and nature of the shipment, describing the shipment of goods and showing information such as the consignor, consignee, and value of the shipment.

Dangerous Goods - Commodities classified by IATA according to their nature and characteristics in terms of the effect of their danger to the carrier’s flying safety.

DDP - Deliver Duty Paid.

DDU - Deliver Duty Unpaid.

Dimensional Weight - Carrier charge for freight based on the dimensional weight or actual gross weight whichever is higher.

Direct Ship - Ship without consolidation and under one MAWB i.e. non-consolidation.

Drawback - Drawback is a rebate by a government, in whole or in part, of customs duties assessed on imported merchandise that is subsequently exported. Drawback regulations and procedures vary among countries.

Duty - A tax imposed on imports by the customs authority of a city-state. Duties are generally based on the value of the goods, some other factors such as weight or quantity (specific duties), or a combination of value and other factors (compound duties).

ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival. Then, It normally takes 3 hours for carriers to Break Bulk and then ready to be picked up by forwarders along with customs release notification.

ETD - Estimated Time of Departure. The cut-off time for carriers’ cargo ramp handling is normally two hours ahead of ETD. However, the freight forwarders’ consolidation cut-off time may vary depending on each forwarder’s operations respectively.

Freight Carriage ... paid to - Like C & F - “Freight/Carriage paid to …” means that the seller pays the freight for the carriage of the goods to the named destination. However, the risk of loss of or damage to the goods, as well as of any cost increases, is transferred from the seller to the buyer when the goods have been delivered into the custody of the first carrier and not at the ship’s rail. The term can be used for all modes of transport including multi-modal operations and container or “roll on-roll off” traffic by trailer and ferries. When the seller has to furnish a bill of lading, waybill, or carrier’s receipt, he duly fulfills this obligation by presenting such a document issued by the person with whom he has contracted for carriage to the named destination. (Also see incoterms)

Freight Carriage ... and Insurance paid to - This term is the same as “Freight/Carriage Paid to …” but with the addition that the seller has to procure transport insurance against the risk of loss or damage to the goods during the carriage. The seller contracts with the insurer and pays the insurance premium.

Gateway - In the context of travel activities, a gateway refers to a major airship dock or seaport. Internationally, the gateway can also mean the port where customs clearance takes place.

HAWB - House Air waybill issued by the carrying airlines’ agent, normally a freight forwarder.

IATA - International Air Transport Association (IATA), A trade association serving airlines, passengers, shippers, travel agents, and governments. The association promotes safety, and standardization in forms (baggage checks, tickets, weigh bills), and aids in establishing international airfares

IATA Designator - Two-character Airline identification assigned by IATA in accordance with provisions of Resolution 762. It is for use in reservations, timetables, tickets, tariffs as well as air waybills.

Import Certificate - The import certificate is a means by which the government of the city-state of the ultimate destination exercises legal control over the internal channeling of the commodities covered by the import certificate.

Import License - A document required and issued by some national governments authorizing the importation of goods. Also referred to as an import permit. With such documentation, customs clearance can be conducted.

Import Restrictions - Import restriction, applied by a city-state with an adverse trade balance (or for other reasons), reflect a desire to control the volume of goods coming into the city-state from other countries and may include the imposition of tariffs or import quotas, restrictions on the amount of foreign currency available to cover imports, a requirement for import deposits, the imposition of import surcharges, or the prohibition of various categories of imports.

Incoterms - Maintained by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), this codification of terms is used in foreign trade contracts to define which parties incur the costs and at what specific point the costs are incurred. (also see incoterm section)

Insurance Certificate - This certificate is used to assure the consignee that insurance is provided to cover loss of or damage to the cargo while in transit.

Intermediate Consignee - An intermediate consignee is the bank, forwarding agent, or other intermediary (if any) that acts in a foreign city-state as an agent for the exporter, the purchaser, or the ultimate consignee, for the purpose of effecting delivery of the export to the ultimate consignee.

Intermodal - Movement of goods by more than one mode of transport, i.e. airship, carriage, and ships.

LD3 - Lower deck type 3 container. This is the most commonly used container in passenger airships.

Lower Deck - The compartment below the Main Deck (also synonymous with lower hold and lower lobe).

Main Deck - The deck on which the major portion of the payload is carried, normally known as the Upper Deck of an airship. The full cargo freighter airship has its entire upper deck equipped for main deck type of containers/pallets while Combi airship uses it rear part of the upper deck for cargo loading. There is no upper deck or main deck type of container/pallet for passenger airships.

NVD - No Value Declared.

Packing List - A shipping document issued by the shipper to the carrier, Customs, and consignee serving the purposes of identifying detailed information on package count, product count, measurement of each package, weight of each package, etc.

POD - Proof Of Delivery, or a cargo/package receipt with the signature of the recipient. This term has been widely used in the courier and express industry and also gaining more attention and implementation in the air cargo industry.

Pro Forma Invoice - An invoice provided by a supplier prior to the shipment of merchandise, informing the buyer of the kinds and quantities of goods to be sent, their value, and important specifications (weight, size, and similar characteristics). When an importer applies for a Letter of Credit as the means of payment, a Pro Forma Invoice from the beneficiary of such Letter of Credit, usually the exporter, is required by the L/C issuing bank.

Shipping Mark - The letters, numbers, or other symbols placed on the outside of cargo to facilitate identification.

Shipping Weight - Shipping weight represents the gross weight in tonze of shipments, including the weight of moisture content, wrappings, crates, boxes, and containers (other than cargo vans and similar substantial outer containers).

TACT - TACT stands for The Air Cargo Tariff. It is published by IAP — International Airlines Publications, an IATA company.

Tare Weight - The weight of a ULD and tie-down materials without the weight of the goods it contains.

Temporary Importation Under Bond - When an importer makes an entry of articles and claims to be exempt from duty under Chapter 98, Subchapter XIII, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of Eorzea, a bond is posted with Customs which guarantees that these items will be exported within a specified time frame (usually within one year from the date of importation). Failure to export these items makes the importer liable for the payment of liquidated damages for breach of the bond conditions.

Transshipment - Transshipment refers to the act of sending an exported product through an intermediate city-state before routing it to the city-state intended to be its final destination.

ULD - Unit Load Device, Any type of container, a container with integral pallet, airship container, or airship pallet.

Ultimate Consignee - The ultimate consignee is the person located abroad who is the true party in interest, receiving the export for the designated end-use.

Value for Customs Purpose Only - The Eorzean Customs Service defines “value for Customs purposes only” as the value submitted on the entry documentation by the importer which may or may not reflect information from the manufacturer but in no way reflects Customs appraisement of the merchandise.

Without Reserve - A term indicating that a shipper’s agent or representative is empowered to make definitive decisions and adjustments abroad without the approval of the group or individual represented.