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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 10th, 2023

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  • The answer is logistics. That’s a very broad and boring answer, but it’s just the way it is.

    UPS is one of, if not the largest airline in the world. Their package tracking and logistics framework is well developed.

    UPS, in WorldPort (and FedEx from just a short distance away), have positioned a hub that allows a huge amount of freight in; for it to be sorted cheaply, efficiently, and quickly; and for those planes to get back out the same night. I forget the exact statistic, but the Louisville airport is a 2 hour flight or less to 75% of the US population in the continental US. So for a plane to fly in, unload, refuel, reload, and fly back can be done for 3/4 of every major population center in the US with a single flight crew rotation.

    Sounds crazy, but WorldPort has (had?) an average package sort speed of 13 minutes. So turnaround is fast. But of it’s a two day package, it can sit for a few hours at WorldPort and take a later plane.

    Then from there, as the planes return, ground transport takes over. Ground shipping can also cover a lot of area for a two day shipment, so air transit isnt always needed.

    https://www.aeroclass.org/ups-worldport/