Do I pay extra for a House AWB?

No — the HAWB is simply how your individual shipment is documented within a consolidated booking, not an add-on service.

What happens if my portion of a consolidation gets separated in transit?

It's re-tendered on the next available flight under an amended manifest referencing the original MAWB — see our MAWB vs HAWB guide's worked example for exactly how that plays out and who's responsible for what.

Can I request a dedicated Master AWB instead of joining a consolidation?

Yes, if your shipment is large enough to be booked as its own dedicated MAWB rather than joining a consolidation with other shippers' cargo.

Do I need my own IATA accreditation to use a consolidated booking?

No — that's the point of booking through a consolidator. You access carrier rates and AWB issuance under UAL's accreditation without holding one yourself.

Air Freight Fundamentals

Freight Consolidation & Groupage Explained

How multiple shippers' cargo shares one Master AWB — and why that's the backbone of UAL's neutral-agent model, not just a cost-saving trick.

Get a Rate

MAWB per consolidated booking

Many

HAWBs (individual shippers) can sit under it

Lower

Per-kilogram cost vs. booking a dedicated MAWB alone

Extra cost for the HAWB itself — it's included

What groupage actually is, and why it works

Groupage — freight consolidation — is a forwarder combining multiple shippers' individual shipments into one larger booking under a single Master AWB, then issuing each shipper their own House AWB for their specific portion. This is the exact MAWB/HAWB relationship covered in detail on our Master AWB vs House AWB guide — consolidation is what makes that two-tier document structure exist in the first place.

Why it exists commercially: airlines price cargo space in bulk, and a single small shipper rarely has enough volume to negotiate airline-direct rates or fill a pallet efficiently on their own. A forwarder consolidating many shippers' cargo onto one MAWB can negotiate better bulk rates than any individual shipper could alone, and pass a share of that efficiency through — without the smaller shipper needing their own IATA accreditation or carrier relationships.

This is the same neutral-agent positioning already established across UAL's own service: shippers access IATA contract rates and AWB issuance under our accreditation, and consolidated buying power, without holding accreditation themselves. See our CASS settlement guide for how the payment side of that relationship actually clears.

What consolidation changes for a shipper

None of this is a downside of consolidation — it's simply what the structure looks like from the individual shipper's side.

You get a House AWB, not a Master AWB

Your direct contract is the HAWB UAL issues you — see our MAWB vs HAWB guide for exactly how liability differs between the two.

Your cargo may be re-tendered separately if a consolidation is split

If part of a consolidated booking gets offloaded for weight or space reasons, it travels on the next available flight under an amended manifest — covered in detail in the MAWB vs HAWB guide's worked example.

You don't need your own IATA accreditation

Booking through a consolidator's MAWB means you access carrier rates without holding accreditation yourself.

Your rate reflects shared bulk buying power, not your individual volume

A forwarder consolidating many shippers' cargo can negotiate rates no individual small shipper could get alone.

UAL's Neutral-Agent Model

Consolidation is why UAL exists as an intermediary, not just a cost-saving feature

We hold the IATA accreditation, the carrier relationships, and the CASS enrollment — a shipper accessing consolidated bookings through us gets all three without needing any of them directly.

UAL positioning — see our freight forwarders page and CASS settlement guide for the full mechanics.

Worked example

Six shippers, one MAWB, six HAWBs

This is the same consolidated KUL–YYZ booking already worked through in detail on our Master AWB vs House AWB guide — six shippers' cargo, one Master AWB, tendered together.

Each of the six shippers gets their own House AWB, referencing the same underlying MAWB UAL holds with the operating carrier. None of the six needed an IATA accreditation, a direct carrier relationship, or enough individual volume to negotiate a bulk rate — the consolidation gave all six access to the same rate UAL negotiated for the full booking.

If the booking gets split in transit — covered in the MAWB vs HAWB guide's own worked example — UAL's obligation runs to each shipper under their individual HAWB, while the carrier's obligation runs to UAL under the one MAWB. Consolidation doesn't complicate that relationship; it's the reason the relationship has two layers in the first place.

What UAL handles for you

We hold the MAWB relationship and consolidated buying power so individual shippers don't have to — issuing your HAWB, settling through CASS, and coordinating re-tender if a consolidation ever gets split in transit.

Consolidated bulk rates, passed through

HAWB issuance included, not an add-on

Single point of contact end to end

Frequently asked questions

Not as standard practice — consolidated bookings run on the same flight schedule as any other cargo. Delay risk comes from things like weight-restricted offloads, not from a consolidation deliberately waiting to fill up before it moves.

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Master AWB vs House AWB

CASS Settlement Explained

What is an Air Waybill?

Consolidation/groupage mechanics and the MAWB-HAWB relationship: same framework covered across UAL's AWB documentation guides; IATA Resolution 600a. Last verified: July 2026.