Air Waybill to Excel from Any Airline, Free to Try
Upload an AWB from DHL, FedEx, UPS, or any IATA airline. Type the fields you need, like AWB Number, Airport Codes, Weight, and Flight, and get a clean spreadsheet in 5–10 seconds per page, with no template configuration.
Up to 99% accuracy on printed AWBs · No templates required · Files not stored after processing
What You Can Extract from an Air Waybill
Skip retyping AWB numbers, airport codes, and weights by hand. Type the column names you need, and this air waybill scanner finds each value by what it means rather than where it sits, so a stack of air waybills becomes one AWB to Excel sheet with no template to configure.
Why Air Waybills Resist Template-Based OCR
Every AWB carries an 11-digit number built from a 3-digit IATA airline prefix, a 7-digit serial, and a check digit, and the form itself follows IATA standards. Yet airlines and freight forwarders each add their own booking and accounting references in different zones, so a DHL AWB and a FedEx AWB scatter carrier-specific codes across the page. That makes fixed-template extraction unreliable.
Why Fixed Templates Fail on AWBs
Every carrier formats fields differently. Two carriers can print the same IATA field in different places on the form, and the extra booking and accounting references each one adds sit in their own zones. Template-based OCR needs a separate configuration per carrier, and it breaks the moment any carrier updates its form layout.
Reference numbers appear in unpredictable locations. Beyond the IATA-standard fields, airlines and forwarders layer in their own booking numbers, internal reference codes, and accounting notations. These extra fields vary by carrier and sit in different positions, whether that is the left margin, the bottom section, or alongside the barcode, which makes static template mapping impossible.
Mixed content: print, handwriting, stamps, and barcodes. AWBs routinely contain typed fields, handwritten weight corrections, customs stamps, and barcodes on a single page. Traditional OCR reads these as one undifferentiated text stream, so a handling instruction annotation gets merged with the goods description line and the output comes out garbled.
How Semantic Column Extraction Reads an AWB
You name the fields, the AI finds them. Type AWB Number | Origin Airport | Destination Airport | Shipper | Consignee | Gross Weight and the AI locates each value anywhere on the page, by understanding what the field means semantically rather than reading a fixed pixel position.
Section-aware reading preserves context. The AI reads the AWB the way an air freight specialist would: it understands that "Consignee" is the receiving party block, not just any company name on the page, and that the weight in the cargo section is separate from the handling fee section. Field-level understanding prevents cross-section data confusion.
One column setup works across all carriers. Upload AWBs from DHL, FedEx, UPS, Emirates SkyCargo, and Lufthansa in a single batch. The same column definitions apply to all of them, so the output is one unified Excel file, one row per air waybill, regardless of how each carrier scatters its reference codes.
Every carrier adds its own zones and reference codes, so a fixed template is always one layout change away from breaking. Naming the fields you need and letting the AI locate them by meaning removes that dependency, and the workflow below shows the result end to end.
From AWB Stack to Consolidated Shipment Tracker
For freight forwarders, customs brokers, and logistics teams processing daily air waybills, here is what the end-to-end workflow looks like. It is free to try, and the guest mode needs no account.
Upload your AWB documents
Drop in a batch of AWB PDFs, scanned images, or smartphone photos from any carrier. PDFs exported from airline portals and photographed AWBs from receiving docks can be mixed in the same upload. Processing runs at 5–10 seconds per page.
Type the columns you need
Enter field names that match your reporting workflow: standard ones like AWB Number | Origin Airport | Destination Airport | Pieces | Gross Weight, or customs-specific ones like Harmonized Code | Declared Value | Country of Origin. You can also define a computed column like Actual Weight (Gross − Tare) and the AI calculates it during extraction.
Download the Excel output
Export to XLSX, CSV, or JSON. Every AWB becomes one row in the output table, ready for TMS import, customs filing prep, or paste into your shipment tracking spreadsheet. Google Sheets users can use the sidebar add-on to extract results directly into an active sheet without leaving Sheets.
Where AWB Extraction Is Accurate, and What to Review
Accuracy is high for standard AWB documents. A few conditions affect results, and they are worth knowing before you process a large batch.
When it works best
IATA-standard AWBs from major carriers. FedEx, DHL, UPS, Emirates SkyCargo, Qatar Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo, and other airlines using standard IATA AWB layouts produce near-perfect extraction accuracy.
PDFs exported from airline or freight management systems. Machine-generated AWBs from carrier portals, CargoWise, or other TMS platforms extract with the highest reliability.
Smartphone photos of physical AWBs. Photos taken in good dock or office lighting reliably extract standard fields, including handwritten annotations and stamped corrections.
Worth a spot-check
Non-standard carrier layouts. AWBs from smaller regional carriers or non-IATA forwarders that deviate significantly from IATA field positioning may produce lower confidence on some fields, so review the extracted values.
Heavily over-stamped AWBs. When customs or handling stamps directly cover printed fields, the AI flags uncertain values, and Review Mode lets you hover any extracted cell to highlight exactly where on the original scan that value came from. Confirm the flagged fields before using the data in downstream systems.
House AWB and Master AWB on the same document. When both HAWB and MAWB numbers appear, verify they are extracted to the correct columns and not swapped. Adding explicit columns like MAWB Number | HAWB Number improves disambiguation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can your AWB scanner read handwritten or stamped information on air waybills?
Yes. The AI uses visual understanding to decipher handwritten annotations, rubber stamps, and pre-printed text on AWBs, accurately extracting key fields like AWB numbers, flight details, and weight corrections even when they overlap with printed fields. Unlike basic OCR that treats stamps as noise, the AI understands them as data-bearing annotations.
Does it work with AWBs from different carriers, including DHL, FedEx, UPS, and airline-issued formats?
Yes. The tool uses column-name extraction: you type the fields you need and the AI locates them anywhere on the page by understanding what they mean. A DHL AWB, a FedEx AWB, a UPS AWB, and a Lufthansa Cargo AWB all produce the same structured output from the same column setup, even when processed together in a mixed batch. Standard IATA fields like AWB Number, Origin/Destination Airport, and Weight are reliably extracted regardless of the carrier's layout.
Can I batch process dozens of AWBs into a single tracking spreadsheet?
Yes. Upload multiple AWB files at once, whether PDFs, scanned images, or photos, and the tool processes all of them with the same column definitions, merging results into one Excel file with one row per air waybill. For teams collecting AWBs from carriers or field staff, the Collection Link feature generates a shareable upload link so others can submit documents directly to your processing queue without needing an account.
Does it extract House AWB and Master AWB numbers separately?
Yes. Add MAWB Number and HAWB Number as separate columns, and the AI will extract each to the correct column. When both appear on the same document, the AI distinguishes between them based on the surrounding context, label text, and position on the page, so consolidation-level data stays properly separated.
What about DG (dangerous goods) declarations and special handling codes?
Dangerous goods declarations attached to AWBs are extracted as part of the Handling Information or as a separate section depending on your column setup. Add a column for DG Class, UN Number, or Special Handling Code and the AI finds and extracts these fields. For completeness, review DG-related fields before using them for regulatory filings.
Can I scan an air waybill for free before subscribing?
Yes. The free guest mode processes up to 3 documents a day with no account and no credit card, so you can upload a real AWB, set your columns, and check the output before you sign up. Creating a free account adds 20 credits every month for continued testing. Paid plans start at $9 a month.