According to IATA specifications the electronic AWB (FWB message) data is limited compared to the data that can be entered on the (paper) AWB. Below you find the most important limitations.
To prevent crucial information from being lost in the FWB message, it is recommended to list this crucial information first when preparing the AWB.
Limitations by the Airline
In addition to the standard limitations within the FWB (detailed below), certain airlines impose additional restrictions that may further limit the data that can be included. Currently, approximately 20 airlines have implemented these extra limitations.
When one of these airlines is selected in Scope, the system automatically adjusts the FWB data to comply with the specific requirements of that airline. This ensures that the FWB is accepted without errors or delays caused by incompatible data.
Key Points to Note:
- Automatic Adjustments: Scope dynamically applies the necessary limitations based on the selected airline. This saves time and reduces the risk of manual errors.
- Compliance Assurance: By adhering to airline-specific requirements, Scope ensures that the FWB aligns with industry standards and individual carrier preferences.
- Airline-Specific Rules: These limitations may vary widely and could include restrictions on character length, special characters, or mandatory fields.
Standard FWB limitations
Rate Description segment (RTD)
RTD refers to the section in an Air Waybill (AWB) containing shipment details and basically fills the full mid section of the AWB.
The RTD section supports up to a maximum of 12 lines according to the IATA specification with each line numbered and assigned a type that determines the format of the information.
Scope reserves RTD lines in the FWB by default for:
- Nature of Goods (type=NG or NC)
Depending on the AWB type (Direct or Master) types NG or NC are used for the Nature of Goods description, which typically occupies at least two lines. If more lines are entered other important AWB/FWB data will be prioritized first. Lines support not more than 20 characters payload. - Volume (type=NV)
If no volume information is available, the specification requires a line stating "No dimension available" (ND//NDA).
One line is reserved - SLAC (type=NS)
The number of individual pieces, shippers load and count.
One line is reserved
The remaining lines can be used for additional details, including:
- HS Codes (NH): Harmonized System commodity codes.
- Country of Origin (NO): Country where the goods were produced or originated.
- ULD Numbers (NU): Identification numbers of Unit Load Devices, if applicable.
- Dimensions (ND): Specific dimensions of the goods.
Limitations and Data Prioritization
Since the RTD section is limited to 12 lines, it is not possible to fully include all potential shipment details. Therefore, Scope prioritizes the most essential information within the limitations of the specification. Less essential data may be omitted to guarantee that the core information is clear and complete.
This prioritization ensures that crucial data, such as volume, SLAC, nature of goods, and customs details, are always transmitted, even when available space is limited.
Other Service Information (OSI)
Scope fills the Handling Information into this field. This is a maximum of 3 lines with a maximum of 65 characters per each line.
Notify and Accounting Information
Shipper (SHP), Consignee (CNE) and Notify (NFY)
2 lines for NAM=name (FWB version 16 only supports 1 line each and does use NAM as code)
2 lines for ADR=street address (FWB version 16 only supports 1 line each and does not use ADR as code)
1 line for LOC=Place/Location
1 line for
- State of province, e.g., NY for New York in the USA
- Country code, e.g. US for USA
- ZIP or Postal Code
- Contact details, repeatable, which consist of a Contact Identifier which can be TE=Telephone, FX=Fax or TL=Telex plus the Contact Number.
IATA specification does not allow an e-mail here.
The IATA Cargo-IMP specification does not support some special characters (e.g., underscore, percent character etc.) which may be used in email addresses. To comply with this official limitation, Scope has no choice but to mangle those special characters in the FWB/FHL transmission messages. Learn more about this topic here:
Why are special characters not allowed on an e-AWB?
Accounting information (ACC)
Scope fills this segment with the free text accounting information from the AWB.
Identifier “GEN” is used for “general”. The accounting information text is limited to 6 lines and 34 characters per line.