Tag: North America

FedEx Express Earns FAA Certification for Innovative Flight Safety System

Posted by | Jun 23, 2008 | |

FedEx Express has achieved a milestone in innovative flight safety technology with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification of a new aircraft avionic system that dramatically improves situational awareness for pilots during takeoff and landing—the most critical part of any flight.

FedEx Express is the first major commercial carrier in the airline industry to receive a Supplemental Type Certificate from the FAA for the advanced system, authorizing its installation in the company’s fleet of Boeing MD-10 freighters. The company’s goal for the system is to improve the level of flight safety by increasing visibility of pilots during adverse weather conditions and darkness.

Upon activation of the system, pilots can significantly enhance visibility in poor weather —including darkness, smoke, smog, haze and other weather events—while simultaneously seeing critical flight data. This allows the captain to maintain a heads-up view of his surroundings, eliminating transition time normally needed to look down at cockpit primary flight information. The visual enhancement is similar to that created by infrared night-vision technology used in modern-day defense systems.

A unique application of Honeywell International “Head Up Display” (HUD) technology combined with infrared “Enhanced Flight Vision System” (EFVS) technology of Elbit Systems of America Commercial Aviation-Kollsman Business Unit, positions the system as the leader in the avionic visual technologies market.

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Changing economy poses challenges for U.S. Customs

Posted by | Jun 22, 2008 | |

DHL’s plan to hire United Parcel Service for domestic air transport of DHL packages may have a long-term impact on how the government deploys its customs inspectors regionally.

Last year, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency decided to reassign most of its staff from Dayton International Airport to DHL’s air freight hub at Wilmington, to handle DHL’s brisk flow of incoming packages from foreign destinations.

On May 28, DHL announced its plan to hire UPS. That could end DHL’s need for air freight operations at Wilmington by some time in 2009, since UPS has its own sorting and air transport facilities. German-owned DHL, which is trying to end multimillion-dollar losses in its U.S. operations, has said it hopes to conclude a contract with UPS within three months and begin making operational changes soon after.

The government has no plans to change deployment of its staff at Wilmington because it hasn’t received official notification from DHL of any changes for that hub, Miles said.

Most of the customs staff of eight people at the Dayton airport remain there still, because the relocation of what is known as a port office is still in progress, customs spokesman Brett Sturgeon said. One officer has been reassigned from Dayton to supplement the previously existing staff at Wilmington, Sturgeon said.

There will be a renewed need for U.S. customs staff at Dayton International Airport, which is about to see a return of international passenger flight service for the first time in six years.

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IWCO Direct receives USPS and safety awards

Posted by | Jun 19, 2008 | |

IWCO Direct has received a “Corporate Business Achievement Award” from the U.S. Postal Service. In addition, the firm has been recognized as an “Industry Safety Leader” by the Envelope Manufacturers Association (EMA).

The USPS recognized IWCO Direct for its commitment to Intelligent Mail. IWCO Direct was among the first to test a new process for electronic documentation of commingled mail and collaborated with the USPS on acceptance procedures. IWCO Direct also participated in the Seamless Acceptance pilot test for Standard Mail.

The pilot test used unique Intelligent Mail Barcodes on mailpieces, trays and pallets, submitted all documentation electronically through the PostalOne! website and created mailing statements electronically.

The “Safety Leader” award was based on EMA’s evaluation of the organization on its safety achievements, based on quarterly and annual surveys. Employers are required to provide information on injuries and illnesses, as well as internal safety programs. EMA also calculates Days Away From Work due to Injury/Illness (DAFWII) based on the number of employees in the organization. To qualify for the award, DAFWII must be at or below 1.5 days per 100 employees.

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TNT Says Fuel, U.S. Economy Haven't Hurt Express Unit

Posted by | Jun 19, 2008 | |

TNT said rising fuel prices and the slowing U.S. economy aren’t hurting its express-delivery division. ‘TNT is coping well with the uncertainty in the economy,’ Marie-Christine Lombard, head of the Hoofddorp, Netherlands-based company’s TNT Express unit, said today at a press briefing in Liege, Belgium. There is ‘so far no impact.’

Jet fuel prices in northwest Europe have risen 42 percent this year, Bloomberg data show. TNT’s Memphis, Tennessee-based competitor FedEx Corp., the second-largest U.S. package-shipping company, posted its first quarterly loss in 11 years yesterday and projected earnings that fall short of analysts’ estimates as fuel costs rise and the country’s slowing economy curbs demand.

TNT is transporting as much as possible by road rather than air, helping to hold back costs as prices for diesel fuel rise more slowly than for jet kerosene. The company’s U.S. business makes up only 2 percent to 3 percent of total express-delivery volumes. TNT isn’t planning to expand its operations within the world’s largest economy, Lombard said today. ‘We’re not a big player intra-U.S.A. and we don’t plan to be one,’ she said.

TNT, which operates a fleet of aircraft for its express-delivery network, is considering forming a partnership with cargo airlines to use their freight space on some routes, Lombard said. Such an alliance would probably be a ‘commercial’ agreement and not involve a capital investment, she added.

Bonn-based competitor Deutsche Post AG’s DHL express-delivery unit and Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Europe’s second-biggest airline, set up the AeroLogic cargo joint venture this year. The business will fly freight and express mail from Germany to Asia and the U.S. starting in 2009, stepping up competition with TNT as well as U.S. rivals United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx.

TNT will invest in new aircraft in the event that there is sufficient shipment volume that requires additional capacity, according to Lombard.

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USPS sponsor ‘eBay Live!’

Posted by | Jun 19, 2008 | |

The U.S. Postal Service has one question for the anticipated 10,000 small business owners attending eBay Live! 2008 in Chicago: “What are you paying for shipping?”

The Postal Service is the title sponsor of eBay Live! 2008. Through a series of workshops, labs and presentations, attendees discover new strategies, share business solutions and network with other online sellers. The conference is set for June 19-21 in Chicago.

Postal Service employees are on hand to explain new pricing opportunities in domestic, international and online services, working with the theme, “What are you paying for shipping?” Online savings, volume discounts and competitive prices could bring savings as high as 11 percent for eBay shippers, according to the Postal Service. Two international power sellers will demonstrate international shipping options.

All Express Mail and Priority Mail customers can save money simply by going online to purchase postage, including customers using Click-N-Ship at usps.com. Express Mail customers will receive 3 percent off the published retail prices and Priority Mail customers will save an average 3.5 percent.

The Postal Service also is working on a payment solution that allows eBay buyers and sellers to stay on the eBay website to complete financial transactions or print Postal Service shipping labels online. Customers will no longer have to migrate to the PayPal site to conclude business, a convenient solution Anita Bizzotto, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at USPS, said will be available at the end of August.

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