How much of our USPS mail is moved like this

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Recently I took a Delta late night flight from Minneapolis to Seattle. Flight seemed almost empty. Had all three seats to myself and almost the far rear cabin. I noticed a lot of USPS mail being loaded in cargo hold. How much of our USPS mail is moved by commercial passenger jets?...Is this common? Do they take advantage of empty flights to load more mail and other cargo contracts to make up for reduced passenger load?
 
Originally Posted By: Blaze
Recently I took a Delta late night flight from Minneapolis to Seattle. Flight seemed almost empty. Had all three seats to myself and almost the far rear cabin. I noticed a lot of USPS mail being loaded in cargo hold. How much of our USPS mail is moved by commercial passenger jets?...Is this common? Do they take advantage of empty flights to load more mail and other cargo contracts to make up for reduced passenger load?


Lots.

Yes.

Depends on many factors, but if there's an empty flight they can and will take more cargo.

I worked for [big airline] reservations in the 90s. They would occasionally bump business class passengers for cargo in the Japan market...cargo pays, and pays well.
 
In the past, American Airlines and FedEx have had the USPS mail contract. Most USPS Processing and Distribution Centers are located a stone's throw away from the local airport for this reason.

The general rule is local mail is trucked by USPS Truck for 1-day delivery, in-state mail is trucked by contractor for 2-day delivery, and out-of-state mail is flown on commercial air for 3-day delivery.

YMMV, however, as it has been over a decade since I worked for the USPS, and there have been changes to the service standards and downsizing since then.
 
On many international flights they'll leave passengers at the gate so they can carry more load in the belly. That's where a large percentage of revenue is generated.

I've not been boarded on several flights out of Stuttgart and Munich because those two famous German car companies needed to expedite equipment and parts to their factories in Spartanburg and Tuscaloosa. Of course I'm not a paying passenger but it still seems strange to see a jet leave the airport with 30 open seats and all of us non-revenue passengers standing at the window waving byebye.
 
So. Hackensack's Post Office essentially abuts Teterboro Airport. There's a huge USPS handling facility across the street from the same airport.

When I post from there delivery is a day OR TWO faster. Goes for international too.
 
I see mail and freight frequently being loaded onto the aircraft when I do my walk arounds. Blood, tissue, organs and live animals are quite common too. I've also had deportees transported on my flights.
 
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Originally Posted By: FowVay
On many international flights they'll leave passengers at the gate so they can carry more load in the belly. That's where a large percentage of revenue is generated.

I've not been boarded on several flights out of Stuttgart and Munich because those two famous German car companies needed to expedite equipment and parts to their factories in Spartanburg and Tuscaloosa. Of course I'm not a paying passenger but it still seems strange to see a jet leave the airport with 30 open seats and all of us non-revenue passengers standing at the window waving byebye.


I think what's key here, for most folks, in your story is that they are leaving non-revenue passengers at the gate in favor of freight that pays....revenue...

It becomes more complex with actual paying passengers vs. cargo...
 
I haven't seen that much cargo being loaded on my flights back home when I do fly. On a flight between PDX-OAK as well as SEA-OAK, I've seen styrofoam boxes of salmon and tuna being loaded up. I guess that's how Southwest is able to offer free checked bags via transporting fish from the Pacific Northwest to California.
 
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