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FedEx During the Holiday Season - FAQ

October 29, 2007 06:50 PM

The holidays are the busiest time of the year at FedEx. FedEx projects it will see its busiest night in history on Monday, Dec. 17, 2007 with a total of 11.3 million packages moving through the FedEx Express and FedEx Ground networks. Please check back in to the FedEx Newsroom frequently for any updates and additional information about FedEx operations during the holiday season.


How much do your volumes increase over the holidays?


  • The holidays are our busiest time of the year. We project that FedEx will see its busiest night in history on Monday, December 17, 2007, with a total of almost 11.3 million packages moving through the FedEx Express and FedEx Ground networks. On an average day, FedEx handles more than 7 million packages throughout the networks.

  • FedEx Ground projects it will handle its highest package volume ever on Monday, December 11, 2007, when it expects to move more than 7 million packages.

  • December 17, 2007, is expected to be FedEx Express’ busiest night with nearly 5 million packages moving through the network.

  • FedEx Kinko’s will also see its busiest night on December 17, 2007, when 345,000 FedEx Express and FedEx Ground packages are projected to move through the FedEx Kinko’s channel. This is a 12 percent increase over last year’s busiest day for FedEx Kinko’s.

  • FedEx SmartPost expects its busiest day will be December 3, 2007 with 1.9 million shipments moving through the network.

  • The award winning fedex.com Web site is expected to break records as well this holiday season, processing an average of almost 6.5 million online tracking requests per day during the peak month of December. On average, fedex.com processes 3.5 million online tracking requests per day. On the highest single day in December, we expect 8 million online tracking requests. Of note, on December 18, 2006, FedEx Ship Manager at fedex.com processed a record-breaking 1.2 million shipments.


Is FedEx adding additional staff to prepare for the holiday season?


  • FedEx employees and contractors world-wide are set to deliver the holidays this peak season for our customers.

  • FedEx Express provides permanent part-time employees the opportunity to work additional hours in its hubs. In addition, hundreds of corporate employees will continue the FedEx tradition of volunteering at the Memphis SuperHub to help with the holiday volume surge.

  • FedEx Ground will hire about 15,000 seasonal employees across the country.

  • FedEx Kinko’s manages its staffing throughout the year and will adjust its current staff through scheduling to meet customer demand.

  • FedEx Freight utilizes a flexible workforce to meet changing business levels throughout the year.


How does FedEx Operations prepare for the holidays?


  • More than 280,000 FedEx team members are busy gearing up for the holiday season. This year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas:

  • 669 FedEx aircraft will move shipments among 220 countries and territories.

  • More than 75,000 FedEx vehicles will travel throughout the world.

  • More than 1,800 FedEx Kinko’s locations around the world will provide convenient access to time-definite FedEx Express and day-definite FedEx Ground shipping services, along with complete pack-and-ship services.

  • Approximately 50,000 FedEx employees (from Ground and Express) at FedEx hubs worldwide will help ensure that packages reach their destinations on time.

  • FedEx Ground plans to add 15,000 temporary employees and contractors during November and December.

  • Existing FedEx Express part-time hub workers will have the opportunity to work additional hours, a long-standing practice during the holidays. At its other facilities, FedEx Express will maintain existing staffing levels and allow employees to work additional hours.

  • Hundreds of Memphis-based employees will participate in the annual FedEx tradition of volunteering at the FedEx Express SuperHub to help with the holiday volume surge.


How is FedEx affected by winter weather?


  • All FedEx operating companies are known for their exceptional planning and the extraordinary lengths to which they will go to serve their customers. For example:

  • At FedEx Express, the Global Operations Control Center manages the FedEx Express air and ground fleets worldwide and can make routing and operational changes within minutes. The company also employs a staff of 15 meteorologists who can accurately predict weather changes.

  • At FedEx Ground, Web-based software is used to monitor weather conditions and road closings. With this information at hand, the FedEx Ground team can make quick decisions about changing the routes of trucks and trailers when and where necessary.

  • Is FedEx Express increasing its flight schedule to prepare for the holiday season this year?

  • FedEx Express routinely adjusts its flight schedules to accommodate fluctuations in package volumes. We take advantage of the flexibility of our express network in re-routing flights, using flights during the day and other measures to accommodate increased volumes during the holidays. In fact, all FedEx companies are known for their exceptional planning and the extraordinary lengths to which they will got to serve their customers.


What percentage of FedEx holiday shipments will be the result of e-commerce?


  • While we do not break these numbers out, online retail sales are expected to increase this the holiday season. According to FedEx chief economist Gene Huang, internet sales are expected to continue their strong secular trend at a double digit pace similar to last year.

  • According to the market research firm, TNS Retail Forward, online sales will remain the best performing retail channel during the holiday season. The firm expects online retail sales to approach $42 billion in the fourth quarter of 2007 compared with $35 billion last holiday season, a year-over-year increase of 18.5 percent. Online sales as a share of total retail sales will reach a new high of 3.5 percent this holiday compared with 3.1 percent a year ago.

  • FedEx offers a variety of shipping solutions to support the rapidly growing e-commerce marketplace. FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Home Delivery and FedEx SmartPost offer a range of residential delivery options specially designed for customers in the online retail and catalog industry.


What is the last date customers can ship packages for delivery before Christmas?


  • FedEx Express will accept packages up until Saturday, December 22 for delivery before Christmas.

  • Customers shipping packages in the continental U.S. will have until Monday, December 17 to ship via FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery for delivery before Christmas.

  • Customers should go to http://fedex.com/us/customersupport/express/faq/waystoship.html and determine, based on shipping options, the shipping time necessary so that packages are delivered on or before the dates above.


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