Was taking a Delta airlines flight from Salt Lake City to Seattle last weekend and noticed a pallet of US mail being loaded at the last minute...do major airlines have a contract to haul US mail? Is this common?
US mail hauled by private carriers
- Thread starter Blaze
- Start date
- Status
Originally Posted By: Blaze
Was taking a Delta airlines flight from Salt Lake City to Seattle last weekend and noticed a pallet of US mail being loaded at the last minute...do major airlines have a contract to haul US mail? Is this common?
Overflow. Whatever doesn't fit on the actual USPS planes gets contracted to the private airlines, as you saw. Next day mail has to get where it needs to get to...
Was taking a Delta airlines flight from Salt Lake City to Seattle last weekend and noticed a pallet of US mail being loaded at the last minute...do major airlines have a contract to haul US mail? Is this common?
Overflow. Whatever doesn't fit on the actual USPS planes gets contracted to the private airlines, as you saw. Next day mail has to get where it needs to get to...
The USPS does not own any airplanes. All of their deliveries that use air transport are contracted with private carriers, including as freight on regular passenger airline flights. Yes, it is very common, and I can't ever remember it not being the case.
My uncle hauled US Mail for a private company for probably 10 years back in the late 90s between Buffalo NY and Utica NY.
I always thought the longer distance stuff was always farmed out to private companies.
I always thought the longer distance stuff was always farmed out to private companies.
In addition, most if not all ground mail is hauled via private contractors.
Originally Posted By: Miller88
My uncle hauled US Mail for a private company for probably 10 years back in the late 90s between Buffalo NY and Utica NY.
I always thought the longer distance stuff was always farmed out to private companies.
There is a postal distribution center near my house and every truck coming in and out of there is from a private company, almost all are Basil White & Sons.
My uncle hauled US Mail for a private company for probably 10 years back in the late 90s between Buffalo NY and Utica NY.
I always thought the longer distance stuff was always farmed out to private companies.
There is a postal distribution center near my house and every truck coming in and out of there is from a private company, almost all are Basil White & Sons.
FedEx hauls postal freight
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-23/fedex-to-fly-mail-for-postal-service-for-10-5-billion.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-23/fedex-to-fly-mail-for-postal-service-for-10-5-billion.html
We have noticed the mailman at our front door lately is wearing a tshirt and blue jeans, I'm guessing they are private as well?
John
John
Originally Posted By: John_K
We have noticed the mailman at our front door lately is wearing a tshirt and blue jeans, I'm guessing they are private as well?
John
Not necessarily; they cutting career postal positions left and right and replacing them with temporary workers who work a year at a time.
We have noticed the mailman at our front door lately is wearing a tshirt and blue jeans, I'm guessing they are private as well?
John
Not necessarily; they cutting career postal positions left and right and replacing them with temporary workers who work a year at a time.
Flying mail was the first commercial use of airplanes.
It continues to be a significant source of revenue.
A decade ago I frequently flew on mostly empty planes, sometimes under 30 people on the plane. I wondered how the airlines could afford to pay the landing fees, let alone the fuel and salaries. When I looked into it, I found that most of the revenue on the late night flights (the type I usually booked) was from mail and air freight.
It continues to be a significant source of revenue.
A decade ago I frequently flew on mostly empty planes, sometimes under 30 people on the plane. I wondered how the airlines could afford to pay the landing fees, let alone the fuel and salaries. When I looked into it, I found that most of the revenue on the late night flights (the type I usually booked) was from mail and air freight.
they used to send packages on greyhound! i remember going with dad to the bus station and getting stuff. they use private trucking companies today.
Last edited:
Rural routes are delivered by contractor.
This guy has one of the coolest jobs I've seen
This guy has one of the coolest jobs I've seen
Originally Posted By: tom slick
Rural routes are delivered by contractor.
This guy has one of the coolest jobs I've seen
Wow! where can I apply!
Rural routes are delivered by contractor.
This guy has one of the coolest jobs I've seen
Wow! where can I apply!
Here in cedar park the mailman is a dude who drives around in a Tahoe with blacked out windows, and chrome rims.
Does a great job, but I've never seen an official mail truck around here.
This is hardly a rural area either.
Back when I lived in New York, mail came from an official mail truck.
Does a great job, but I've never seen an official mail truck around here.
This is hardly a rural area either.
Back when I lived in New York, mail came from an official mail truck.
Originally Posted By: Blaze
Was taking a Delta airlines flight from Salt Lake City to Seattle last weekend and noticed a pallet of US mail being loaded at the last minute...do major airlines have a contract to haul US mail? Is this common?
The earliest modern airliners, the Boeing 247 and the Douglas DC-2 could not operate profitably on passengers alone.
They needed mail contracts to make their flights profitable.
In these days of ever denser seating on commercial flights along with very high load factors combined with very stringent USPS requirements, not as many passenger carriers accept mail for carriage as was once the case. Too hard to comply with USPS requirements as well as too much other freight to carry, space and weight capacity permitting.
Was taking a Delta airlines flight from Salt Lake City to Seattle last weekend and noticed a pallet of US mail being loaded at the last minute...do major airlines have a contract to haul US mail? Is this common?
The earliest modern airliners, the Boeing 247 and the Douglas DC-2 could not operate profitably on passengers alone.
They needed mail contracts to make their flights profitable.
In these days of ever denser seating on commercial flights along with very high load factors combined with very stringent USPS requirements, not as many passenger carriers accept mail for carriage as was once the case. Too hard to comply with USPS requirements as well as too much other freight to carry, space and weight capacity permitting.
Originally Posted By: 97prizm
From my airline management class and professor, a lot of airlines haul mail. This is how usps gets so many overnight packages sent.
In NYC......
Using Amazon Prime.....
If its a USPS shipped package, sometimes FedEx gets involved, 100% of them have EWR on them, which makes sense as they are hubbed @ Newark
So, can confirm
From my airline management class and professor, a lot of airlines haul mail. This is how usps gets so many overnight packages sent.
In NYC......
Using Amazon Prime.....
If its a USPS shipped package, sometimes FedEx gets involved, 100% of them have EWR on them, which makes sense as they are hubbed @ Newark
So, can confirm
I see mail loaded on United jets every day. Sometimes just a little, sometimes, it takes up half of the aft cargo bay.
- Status
Similar threads
