Air cargo and bonded warehouse glossary
Fifteen operating terms from flight to piece: ULD, FFM, MAWB, HAWB, breakdown, match, and where Geodot runs them.
This glossary defines fifteen trade terms for an airport bonded warehouse. Each entry states what it is and where Geodot records it.
The guide Air cargo in a bonded warehouse describes the full flow from manifest to piece.
1. Bonded warehouse (recinto fiscalizado)
Warehouse authorized to hold foreign-trade cargo at an airport until release. Geodot runs inventory and piece reads inside that warehouse.
2. Flight tree
Structure flight → ULD → master waybill → house waybill → piece. Geodot builds it when the manifest and pre-alert arrive, before the warehouse opens.
3. ULD
Unit Load Device: air pallet or container that groups pieces for the aircraft. In iWMS each ULD is tied to its waybills and pieces.
4. FFM
IATA flight manifest message. Lists what is expected on landing. Geodot receives the FFM by email or file and rebuilds the tree without manual capture.
5. Flight manifest
Document or message that describes the flight cargo. It is the reference against which every piece is matched at receiving.
6. Pre-alert
Advance notice of the flight with waybill and piece data. Geodot receives it with the FFM to load the plan before breakdown.
7. Master air waybill (MAWB)
Airline or consolidator air waybill. Groups one or more house waybills inside a ULD or flight.
8. House air waybill (HAWB)
Individual shipment waybill under a master. Each piece is read against its house waybill during breakdown.
9. Piece (bulto)
Physical unit that is scanned and moved on the floor. In Geodot every read stores waybill, time, user and device.
10. Breakdown (desconsolidación)
Opening the ULD and checking each piece against the expected tree. Shortages, overs and crossed pieces appear at scan time.
11. Match (confronta)
Crossing each piece waybill with the flight manifest. Piece-count and weight differences are flagged at the moment of the read.
12. Previo
Physical or document review of the cargo before release. The system records the status and ties it to the waybill and piece.
13. Bonded deposit (depósito)
Custody of cargo by location inside the warehouse. Includes dangerous goods, refrigerated and general cargo zones when the operation has them.
14. Release (liberación)
Authorized exit of the piece from the warehouse. Geodot flags discrepancies before exit; the release decision belongs to the warehouse.
15. Piece-level evidence
Record of every read with waybill, time, user and device. It supports the exit and later review.
How they work together
Geodot receives the FFM and pre-alert, builds the tree and runs breakdown against what is expected. It does not cover CCTV or a link to the SAT.
In the demo we work with one of your flights as the example. Request a demo.