FedEx to get 1st Airbus A380 Freighter

From: www.fedex.com

FedEx Express will be the first to take delivery of the Airbus A380-800F from Airbus in August 2008 and the first to deploy the plane in in service for its global customers.

FedEx, which announced its purchase of 10 A380-800Fs in January 2001, worked closely with Airbus working groups on design details of the cargo version. Delivery of the first A380 cargo plane will be followed by two more by the end of 2008, three in 2009, three in 2010 and the 10th in 2011. FedEx also holds options for 10 additional aircraft.

During the first year of operation, the three FedEx planes will operate on long-range routes between FedEx hubs in Asia and North America. Additional routes from Europe to North America and Europe to Asia will be added as more aircraft are added to the fleet in coming years.

The planes not only give FedEx greater network capacity, but they are cost effective and environmentally friendly. The engine, the Engine Alliance GP7200, has a design strategy which will allow the A380 to surpass requirements for lower emissions, noise and fuel burn.

WORLD WISE DELIVERY

From www.usps.com

WORLD WISE DELIVERY. FedEx is the delivery agent for Global Express Guaranteed (GXG) — the Postal Service’s premier, date-certain international delivery service to more than 190 countries and territories. GXG shipping labels feature both USPS and FedEx logos. About 7,400 Post Offices around the country offer GXG service.

UPS Orders 10 Airbus A380 Freighters

From www.ups.com

UPS Places Order for 10 Airbus A380 Freighters LOUISVILLE, Jan. 10, 2005 - Moving to expand the capacity of its air network to accommodate strong international growth, UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced a firm order for 10 A380 super-jumbo freighter aircraft made by Airbus.
In a related decision, UPS and Airbus have agreed to amend a previous order for A300 aircraft.

"The A380 will allow UPS to effectively meet the fast-growing demands of our customers across a variety of global trade lanes," said John Beystehner, UPS chief operating officer and president of UPS Airlines. "This plane offers an exciting combination of payload and range that will help improve both the capability and efficiency of our international network."

"We are extraordinarily pleased to have UPS join the growing list of A380 customers, particularly because their order demonstrates the strength of the aircraft as a freighter for air carriers based around the world," said Noël Forgeard, Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer.

Deliveries of UPS’s A380s are scheduled to begin in 2009 and run through 2012. The order also gives UPS the option to purchase 10 more of the planes. The purchase price of the aircraft was not disclosed. UPS has not yet made an engine selection for the A380.
Under the agreement regarding A300 aircraft, UPS is reducing its previous order for 90 planes to 53. To date, 40 A300s have been delivered and the remaining 13 will be delivered by July 2006.

The A380 has the capacity to carry three decks of cargo with container capacity of nearly 40,000 cubic feet and a maximum structural payload of 330,000 pounds. With a range of 5,600 nautical miles, the A380 can fly non-stop to places around the world that used to take two or more flights.

UPS’s international business has been very strong. During the third quarter of 2004, for example, UPS’s total international export volume climbed 13.2% over the prior-year period. Asia export volume increased 29% and export volume out of China more than doubled compared to the prior year.

"We continually evaluate and adjust the company’s air network to meet the needs of our customers," Beystehner added. "Our strong international growth has increased our need for larger aircraft and the super jumbo is part of that solution."

UPS is the world’s largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services, offering an extensive range of options for synchronizing the movement of goods, information, and funds. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. UPS stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (UPS) and the company can be found on the Web at UPS.com.

APCs IN EVERY STATE

Automated Postal Centers in every State

From www.usps.com

Automated Postal Centers (APCs) are now available in all 50 states. APCs began appearing in Post Office lobbies as the Postal Service continued to expand customer access to products and services. By late November, 2,500 were in place throughout the nation. APCs provide a quick, easy and convenient way for customers to weigh, calculate and apply postage, and ship Express Mail and Priority Mail items, packages and First-Class letters — 24 hours a day in many locations.

USPS: Delivery Should Return to Normal Today

Delivery Should Return to Normal Today in the Northeast, after airports were closed this weekend due to severe snowstorms. http://www.dmnews.com/cgi-bin/artprevbot.cgi?article_id=31618

Shipping 101- From choosing vendors to shipping and handling charges

Found a great article, talks about how to choose the right shipping vendor for your company and how to negotiate lower shipping rates. We have found that packages under 3lbs are cheapest to ship via USPS Parcel Post or Priority Mail, over 3lbs use UPS or FedEx.

Currently FedEx is handing out discounted rates like there is no tomorrow, print your labels from their website at www.fedex.com and all ground shipments get 10% off! Or, if you ship 10-20 packages a week, call and ask to have a rep assigned to your account, have that rep come out to meet you and see what they can do for you. UPS is very hard to get a discount. The best way to get a UPS Representitive to even think about handing out a discounted rate is to be getting one from another vendor and let them know it!

Check out the article below for even more $$$ saving tips!

Shipping 101
From choosing vendors to shipping and handling charges, we've covered the essentials of setting up a shipping system that delivers.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,311235,00.html

USPS: "NO RATE INCREASE THIS YEAR."

From the USPS website:
http://www.usps.com/communications/news/welcome.htm

NO RATE INCREASE THIS YEAR. USPS Public Affairs and Communications VP Azeezaly Jaffer confirms there will be no USPS rate increase this year. “First-Class postage, 37 cents, will not increase this year. It did not increase last year either, nor the year before,” Jaffer said in a response to a recent editorial in the Uintah Basin Standard. Jaffer explained the lengthy rate-setting process through the independent Postal Rate Commission will not allow for price changes in 2005.

ZIP, City & Phone Lookup

The following FREE ZIP, City & Phone Lookup tool is very useful, see below for a list of results it offers:

http://www.melissadata.com/lookups/zipcityphone.asp

Results for ZIP Code
AM, FM & TV - Campaign Contributors - Carrier Routes - City Demographics - Climate - ZIP - Demographics - Income Tax - Labor Statistics - Nearest Mailing House - NonProfits - Public Schools - Streets in ZIP

*State
*Type of ZIP Code
*USPS Preferred City Name
*Dunn & Bradstreet Businesses in ZIP
*Population (2000) of ZIP
*USPS Residential Deliveries in ZIP
*USPS Business Deliveries in ZIP
*Area Code
*Time Zone (Local Time)
*County Name (FIPS)County Seat
*In-Out Flow Economy Demographics
*Earthquake Hazard
*Available Maps
*Single ZIP Code

Through rain and sleet (but not big snow piles)

Through rain and sleet (but not big snow piles)
By David Nelson
The Herald Journal
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6832281/

Postal Service stops delivery at some mailboxes Since Jan. 8, Jerry Jorgenson of Logan has seen UPS delivery drivers, garbage trucks and snowplows make the rounds through his west Logan neighborhood.
He hasn't, however, seen any letters, bills or advertisements make their way into to his white mailbox, nor has he heard from the Postal Service about why nothing has arrived.

"All these other people manage to get their jobs done in the snow," Jorgenson said, standing next to the box emblazoned with his last name and sticking out of a 3-foot-deep pile of packed snow just off the sidewalk.
Jorgenson is not alone, as mailboxes at hundreds of Cache Valley residences were blocked by snow this week. And just like Jorgenson, many people called their local post offices wondering where their mail was.

"Even if it's junk, they want it," said Matthew Adams, carrier supervisor at the Logan post office, where two overflowing trays of mail sit on the floor labeled "Boxes are down/snow blockages" with a black marker.
Adams said the Postal Service can't afford to alert every customer who may have mail service postponed after a snowstorm. Safety is the priority for rural drivers, he said, and decisions about whether to deliver mail are left to individual drivers when they make the rounds among the piles of snow shoveled from driveways, sidewalks and streets.

He urged customers to help make carriers' jobs easier by keeping paths to mailboxes or doors clear. He said residents can use their judgment to determine whether mail will arrive or not.
"If you can drive up and get mail out of your box, then we can drive up and put mail in it. That's one of the best indicators," said Adams.

Adams estimated that at least 40 rural customers served by the Logan office had their mail stored at the downtown office this week because of snow blockages. Other Cache Valley communities reported similar problems for rural drivers, including Richmond, which held mail for about a dozen customers, and Hyrum, which was unable to reach the mailboxes of roughly 100 residents by truck.
"To have to hop out for every box, there's no way they can finish in time," said Sue Tibbetts, a clerk at the Hyrum Post Office, who said some days this week the mail didn't arrive until nearly 5 p.m. on rural routes because of snow-related delays.

Tibbetts said some residents actually called the post office to request their mail be held when the storm hit, although she also experienced phone calls similar to those Adams has been receiving all week. Adams said Saturday's mail will be delivered by hand to customers with inaccessible boxes, with a reminder that the blockage must be removed by Tuesday to resume service.

If the snow has already frozen around boxes on rural routes, Adams said residents can use creativity to get mail delivered on time. He recommended customers extend pieces of wood from their roadside boxes and leave buckets on the end. And then, he said, "do the drive-by test," or check whether mail trucks can make the delivery.

"Look at where your carrier comes from," said Adams. "If he can't walk that route, you probably won't get your mail."

Confirm a U.S. address, get ZIP+4 code, area code, time zone, county, address type, street detail and more.

This looks like a GREAT FREE Tool! Gives you so much information, maybe a little too much, but a great tool especially for web based business to confirm a questionable address before shipping.

Confirm any U.S. address and get the ZIP+4 code, area code, time zone, county, address type, street detail and much more. : -----> http://www.melissadata.com/Lookups/addressverify.asp

Here is the Canadian version: Verify Canadian addresses. Get the Postal Code, time zone and area code. ---> http://www.melissadata.com/Lookups/canadianaddressverify.asp