Run through this checklist first. It’s the fast version of everything below: what “automated eAWB” actually looks like line by line.
Running out of air waybill stock mid-week is a specific, avoidable failure mode, and it happens because AWB numbers are allocated per airline prefix and tracked manually across however many carriers a forwarder works with.
Why AWB stock runs out
Each airline issues its own block of AWB numbers under its own prefix. A forwarder working multiple carriers has to track remaining stock separately for each one, and when that tracking lives in someone’s memory or a spreadsheet that isn’t checked daily, stock for a specific airline runs out without warning, right when an export needs to move. Automating stock tracking by prefix catches this before it becomes a grounded shipment.
What eAWB actually changes
An electronic Air Waybill replaces the paper AWB with a data message transmitted to the carrier, required on most IATA e-freight lanes. The shift isn’t just about paper vs. digital, it changes the workflow: a draft AWB gets prepared from the shipment record, reviewed, then subscribed and sent electronically, rather than filled out by hand and physically attached to the shipment.
Master, House, and Direct AWBs
Like bills of lading, air freight can involve a Master AWB (carrier to forwarder), House AWB (forwarder to shipper), or a Direct AWB for a forwarder shipping on its own account. Automating AWB creation from the shipment record needs to produce whichever type applies without separate manual entry for each.
CargoEZ manages AWB stock by airline prefix and sends eAWB electronically from the shipment record, Master, House or Direct.
Use the air freight cost calculator for chargeable weight on the shipment the AWB covers, and see how to automate freight forwarding workflows for how eAWB fits into the rest of the file.