Amazon has gone to great lengths in an effort to ensure that all of their packages are delivered in a timely manner. When these packages are delayed, even if it’s no fault of Amazon it does make the shopping giant look bad. With the recent holiday crunch and reports that some of Amazon’s delivery partners may have had some trouble meeting delivery deadlines, it makes sense that Amazon may be looking into other possible options. The Seattle Times is reporting that Amazon shipping may soon include leased Boeing 767 jets in order to control even more pieces of the shipping puzzle.
We know Amazon’s delivery aspirations include drones, though that will only help on the last leg of the journey for your package, and will fill more of a niche rather than become something standard. In most cases, Amazon relies on services such as FedEx, UPS, or the USPS to complete their deliveries. Seeing delays from these carriers as a hindrance to their own growth, Amazon is taking matters into their own hands.
According to the report from the Seattle Times, Amazon is in talks to lease as many as twenty Boeing 767 jets to carve out their own air delivery service. This move a warning to their partners at UPS and FedEx. As quoted in the Seattle Times, former managing director of Air Cargo Management Group, Ned Laird said:
This is more of a warning shot across the bow of the express industry (Amazon is saying) ‘We’re not getting what we need. We’ve told you what we need. We’ll go elsewhere for now.’
There are definite hurdles to be overcome before this plan can get off the ground (both literally and figuratively). For one thing, the 767’s that Amazon is looking for are relatively difficult to get. Other companies are competing with Amazon for the limited inventory of jets. Additionally, Amazon does not have an Air Operator’s Certificate which is needed to fly commercial aircraft. This means they’ll need to work with other companies to get started.
It’s also speculated that should Amazon start flying its own planes, they may also start delivering for other companies. This would put them in direct competition with UPS and FedEx, potentially souring that relationship.
Will we start to see Amazon jets flying anytime soon? Tell us what you think in the comments below, or on any of your favorite social media sites.
[button link=”http://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazon-in-talks-to-lease-20-jets-to-launch-air-cargo-business/?utm_source=news.google.com&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_editors_picks_Technology&google_editors_picks=true” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Seattle Times[/button]Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
