A unit load device ( ULD ) is a container used to load luggage, freight, and mail on wide-body aircraft and specific narrow-body aircraft . It allows preloading of cargo , provided the containerised load fits in the aircraft, enabling efficient planning of aircraft weight and balance and reduced labour and time in loading aircraft holds compared with 'bulk-loading' single items of cargo or luggage by hand. Each ULD has its own packing list or manifest so that its contents can be tracked. A loaded aircraft cargo pallet secured with a cargo net also forms a ULD, but its load must be gauged for size in addition to being weighed to ensure aircraft door and hold clearances.
30-520: ULD can refer to: Unit load device , a pallet or container used to load aircraft Ultra Low Delay Audio Coder Union of Liberian Democrats , political party in Liberia Unverricht–Lundborg disease Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title ULD . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
60-441: A combination of aluminium (frame) and Lexan (walls) but there are examples of containers made of GRP with an insulating foam core. Depending on the nature of the goods to be transported, ULDs may have built-in refrigeration units. Examples of common ULDs and their specifics are listed below. LD3s, LD6s, and LD11s will fit 787s , 777s , 747s , MD-11s , Il-86s , Il-96s , L-1011s and all Airbus wide-bodies. The 767 uses
90-415: A formal ruling barring airlines from serving economy passengers sandwiches with "luxurious" ingredients. The economist Walter Adams observed that the limited service competition permitted by IATA tended to merely divert traffic from one air carrier to another without at the same time enlarging the overall air transport market. From 1956 to 1975, IATA resolutions capped travel agent commissions at 7% of
120-607: Is New Distribution Capability (NDC). This will replace the pre-Internet EDIFACT messaging standard, which is still the basis of the global distribution system and travel agent channel, with an XML standard. This will enable the same choices to be offered to high street travel shoppers as are offered to those who book directly through airline websites. A filing with the US Department of Transportation brought over 400 comments. IATA members and all industry stakeholders have agreed to three sequential environmental goals: At
150-572: Is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences that served as a forum for price fixing . According to IATA, as of 2023 it represents 317 airlines, including major carriers, from over 120 countries. The IATA's member airlines account for carrying approximately 82% (2020) of total available seat miles air traffic. IATA supports airline activity and helps formulate industry policy and standards. It
180-624: Is a recommendation only and therefore not mandatory" while his Transport Canada department listed physical distancing as a prophylactic among the key positive points in a guide prepared for the Canadian aviation industry. IATA states that safety is its highest priority. The main instrument for safety is the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). IOSA has also been mandated at the state level by several countries. In 2017, aviation posted its safest year ever, surpassing
210-600: Is cut in half, down the center line of the plane, (lower deck LD3 and upper deck AAX). Main deck ULDs and pallets are not only taller than lower deck ULDs, they are frequently two or four times longer. They are usually organized like an LD6, using the width of the plane and missing two profile corners, or two very long LD3s, stored in parallel to use the plane's width and each missing one profile corner, but often twice or four times as long from plane's nose to tail. Many air cargo companies use main deck ULDs that have both features called dual-profile, so that on smaller planes such as
240-408: Is half the volume of a 125-inch (3,175 mm) × 88 inch pallet. The 20 foot pallet is 238 inches (6,045 mm) long and 96 inches (2,438 mm) wide. What the actual dimensions of contoured upper deck ULDs are is very hard to know, because most manufacturers only profile width, length and height data. There are several common types of contoured main deck ULDs, that are contoured (curved to fit in
270-778: Is headquartered in Montreal , Canada with executive offices in Geneva , Switzerland. IATA was formed in April 1945 in Havana , Cuba. It is the successor to the International Air Traffic Association , which was formed in 1919 at The Hague , Netherlands. At its founding, IATA consisted of 57 airlines from 31 countries. Much of IATA's early work was technical and IATA provided input to the newly created International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which
300-612: Is possible when cargo needs to be quickly transferred to a connecting flight. Both LD2s and LD8s can be loaded in LD3/6/11 aircraft, but at the cost of using internal volume inefficiently (33 ft wasted per LD2). Only the LD3 of the LD3/6/11 family of ULDs can be loaded in a 767; it will occupy an entire row where two LD2s or one LD8 would otherwise have fit (90 ft wasted per LD3). Policies vary from airline to airline as to whether such transfers are allowed. The 787, intended to replace
330-416: The airline ticket price. Legal scholar Kenneth Elzinga argued that IATA's commission cap harmed consumers by decreasing the incentive for travel agents to offer improved service to consumers. By the late 1970s, IATA's price fixing regime was seen as unattractive by many airlines. As a result, major airlines, like Singapore Airlines and Pan-American Airlines , chose to forgo IATA membership. In 1982,
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#1732772332936360-702: The 2013 IATA annual general meeting in Cape Town , South Africa, members overwhelmingly endorsed a resolution on "Implementation of the Aviation Carbon-Neutral Growth (CNG2020) Strategy." A representative for the European Federation for Transport and Environment criticized the resolution for relying on carbon offsets instead of direct reductions in aviation carbon emissions. IATA provides consulting and training services in many areas. A number of standards are defined under
390-408: The 767, was designed to use the LD3/6/11 family of ULDs to solve the wasted volume issue. Aircraft loads can consist of containers, pallets, or a mix of ULD types, depending on requirements. In some aircraft the two types must be mixed as some compartments take only specific ULDs. Container capacity of an aircraft is measured in positions . Each half-width container (LD1/LD2/LD3) in the aircraft it
420-641: The American Sherman and Clayton antitrust acts. In 2006, the United States Department of Justice adopted an order withdrawing the antitrust immunity of IATA tariff conferences. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted routine flights around the world. In the immediate aftermath most airlines, because of the physical distancing policies implemented by national governments, reduced their seat loading by eliminating
450-479: The Boeing 727, they are stored widthwise and have two corners contoured, and on the bigger Boeing 767, they can be rotated 90 degrees and shipped in parallel like LD3s, so that only one corner is contoured when being used like an LD3. This greatly simplifies transportation of cargo containers at slight cost of cargo volume. IATA The International Air Transport Association ( IATA / aɪ ˈ ɑː t ə / )
480-439: The board's inaction as an "abdication of judicial responsibility". The Economist lambasted IATA's connivance with governments to fix prices and compared IATA with medieval guilds . In the early 1950s IATA's price fixing regime forced airlines to attempt to differentiate themselves through the quality of their passenger experience. IATA responded by imposing strict limits on the quality of airline service. In 1958, IATA issued
510-421: The circulation of respiratory droplets" the risk of transmission is reduced. North American carriers such as WestJet , Air Canada and American Airlines all planned to resume normal pattern sales on 1 July 2020. This industry-driven policy garnered immediate push-back from some Canadians, including those who felt defrauded, while Minister of Transport Marc Garneau noted that the "on-board spacing requirement
540-732: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ULD&oldid=1185805609 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Unit load device The IATA publishes ULD regulations and notes there are 900,000 in service worth more than US$ 1 billion, averaging $ 1100 each. ULDs come in two forms: pallets and containers. ULD pallets are rugged sheets of aluminium with rims designed to lock onto cargo net lugs. ULD containers, also known as cans and pods, are closed containers often made of aluminium or
570-401: The organization aimed to fix prices at reasonable levels, with due regard being paid to the cost of operations, in order to ensure reasonable profits for airlines. In 1947 at a time when many airlines were government-owned and loss-making, IATA operated as a cartel, charged by the governments with setting a constrained fare structure that avoided price competition. The first Traffic Conference
600-503: The plane's body) to provide as much cargo volume as possible. Initially ULD contouring was simply a triangle removed from one or two corners of the profile of the ULD, such as the common LD3 and LD6. Main deck ULDs use curves for the contoured shape to truly maximize cargo volume. Upper deck ULDs are just like lower deck ULDs that are either the full width of the plane with two corners of the profile removed (lower deck LD6 lower), or that container
630-550: The previous record set in 2012. The new global Western-built jet accident rate became the equivalent of one accident every 7.36 million flights. Future improvements will be founded on data sharing with a database fed by a multitude of sources and housed by the Global Safety Information Center. In June 2014, the IATA set up a special panel to study measures to track aircraft in flight in real time. The move
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#1732772332936660-402: The sale of the middle seat in a row of three. This reduction averaged out to a load factor of 62% normal, well below the IATA industry break-even level of 77%. Fares would need to rise as much as 54% if a carrier were to break even, according to calculations done by the IATA, who posit that because of "forward-facing seats that prevent face-to-face contact, and ceiling-to-floor air flows that limit
690-623: The same type, and ending with a two character (alpha-numerical) suffix identifying the ULD's owner (if an airline, often the same as IATA designator codes). For example, AKN 12345 DL means that the ULD is a forkliftable LD3 with the unique number 12345 and its owner is Delta Air Lines . On the main deck of cargo planes are 79 to 108 inches (2,007 to 2,743 mm) tall ULDs with footprints similar to those of 88 inches (2,235 mm) or 96 inches (2,438 mm) wide pallets and 62 inches (1,575 mm) or 125 inches (3,175 mm) long. A 62-inch (1,575 mm) wide × 88-inch (2,235 mm) tall ULD
720-694: The smaller LD2s and LD8s because of its narrower fuselage. The less common LD1 is designed specifically for the 747, but LD3s are more commonly used in its place because of ubiquity (they have the same floor dimensions such that one LD3 takes the place of one LD1). LD3s with reduced height (1.14 metres (45 in) instead of 1.63 metres (64 in)) can also be loaded on the Airbus A320 family . LD7 pallets will fit 787s, 777s, 747s, late model 767s (with larger doors), and Airbus wide-bodies. Interchangeability of certain ULDs between LD3/6/11 aircraft and LD2/8 aircraft
750-427: The sociologist John Hannigan described IATA as "the world aviation cartel". IATA enjoyed immunity from antitrust law in several nations. To prevent Laker Airways from disrupting IATA's price fixing regime, IATA members allegedly used a 1977 to conspired to undercut prices on shared routes, seeking to bankrupt Freddie Laker's airline. Laker Airways bankruptcy estate later asserted claims against IATA members under
780-462: The two positions of the following row) or four LD2 positions. PMCs can only be loaded in cargo compartments with large doors designed to accept them (small door compartments are container-only). All ULDs are identified by their ULD number. A three-letter prefix identifies its type and key characteristics, followed by a 4 or 5 digit serial number (4 if prior to October 1, 1993; either 4 or 5 if after October 1, 1993) to uniquely identify it from others of
810-483: Was designed for occupies one position. Typically, each row in a cargo compartment consists of two positions. Therefore, a full-width container (LD6/LD8/LD11) will take two positions. An LD6 or an LD11 can occupy the space of two LD3s. An LD8 takes the space of two LD2s. Aircraft pallet capacity is measured by how many PMC-type LD7s 96 by 125 in (240 by 320 cm) can be stored. These pallets occupy approximately three LD3 positions (two positions of one row and half of
840-561: Was held in 1947 in Rio de Janeiro and reached unanimous agreement on some 400 resolutions. IATA Director-General William Hildred recounted that about 200 of the resolutions at the Rio de Janeiro conference were related to establishing a uniform structure for tariffs charged for international air transportation. The American Civil Aeronautics Board did not intervene to stop IATA's price fixing, and in 1954 law professor Louis B. Schwartz condemned
870-594: Was in response to the disappearance without a trace of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on 8 March 2014. Simplifying the Business was launched in 2004. This initiative has introduced a number of crucial concepts to passenger travel, including the electronic ticket and the bar coded boarding pass. Many other innovations are being established as part of the Fast Travel initiative, including a range of self-service baggage options. An innovative program, launched in 2012
900-593: Was reflected in the annexes of the Chicago Convention in 1944, the international treaty that still governs international air transport. The Chicago Convention did not result in a consensus on the economic regulation of the airline industry. According to Warren Koffler, IATA was formed to fill the resulting void and provide international air carriers with a mechanism to fix prices. In the late 1940s, IATA started holding conferences to fix prices for international air travel. IATA secretary J.G Gazdik stated that
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