[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Regarding the HUB system. We know that LAX is a major hub. And Atlanta another. L.A. doesn't often get snowed in. Atlanta has in the past, and there were delays there last January, but I don't believe there was this year. Should we think that UPS is going to send a package from LA to O'hare with a final destination in Miami? Would YOU fly that way? That's wasted money. If you needed to use a HUB for a southern destination you'd use Atlanta. So while I'm sure that a lot of packages were delayed by seasonal conditions, especially those destined for northern areas, not all of the delays can be blamed upon them.

Sorry, but those are NOT cargo hubs. Not Atlanta, and not LAX, not for UPS or Fedex. You either didn't read what I wrote, or misunderstood me. The cargo hubs are specially designed. They're not regular airports, that are "called" hubs by the flying public. They are designated airports with special equipment, buildings, the whole schmear. They are cargo hubs. And, yes, it's entirely possible that a package could go from L.A. to Dayton OH to Miami, because Dayton is a hub. A CARGO hub. With hundreds of forklifts, massive conveyers running like spokes (arms from a big spider), specialized scanning equipment that looks at every package, and massive sorting bays. Not a plain old pax (passenger) airport.

In areas where UPS or FedEx doesn't deliver on weekends or holidays, the packages are put into a storage facility and a 'Storage Fee' is charged. If it happens to be a 3-day weekend, that fee get large. And when ever they put a package into storage, they ALWAYS insure it... and add the charge to the delivery cost.

Still never had it happen.

I prefer my international packages to travel via national post. I've never lost a package that was shipped via EMS, and rarely been charged with an Import Duty on those packages. They have always arrived within a day or two of the expected delivery date.

And you mentioned this:

Jacksonville, FL, United States 12/26/2013 1:14 P.M. Arrival Scan
San Pablo, CA, United States 12/20/2013 4:23 A.M. Departure Scan

Which WAS 4 working days. Was the promise for 3-4 calendar days, or working days? For that matter, it was 3 working days, as Christmas isn't usually considered a working day in the US. Say 4, if you count the departure scan day. So: what's the beef? That Christmas Day got in the way?

In any event, I am through with this, as I appear to be talking to the wall. Maybe it's all that acid from the 60's. Look up cargo hubs, and all the specialized containers, equipment, sorting buildings, etc., that are needed. The mere existence of a busy airport doesn't make it a cargo hub. That's utterly wrong. Planes with cargo for the carrier, like UPS, do fly to busy airports, where their containers are offloaded and transported to the sorting warehouse; they are not sorted at the airport, like they are at a HUB airport.

The packages are picked up at point A. They go from A to a local warehouse, where they are sorted by region of destination. Then, they are palletized and sent to the airport. They are loaded, by pallet, on the airport. From there, the plane goes TO THE CARGO HUB. At the cargo hub, each package is again scanned, sorted, and redistributed to ensure that it goes on the right plane, to the right city, not just "region." The package gets repacked onto a new pallet. The PALLET goes on the correct airplane, that's going to the correct city. At the destination city, the pallet is offloaded onto semis, which go to the region or city's sorting warehouse. The pallets are broken down, the packages are scanned AGAIN, and sorted for today's deliveries versus tomorrow's, and then routed to the correct truck. That's when you get notified that a package is "out for delivery." (And that's how. What did you think happened? Some guy who drove from Miami to L.A. climbed in the back of his semi, and marked your package, and sent you a text message?)

Then the driver takes his truck, and baring unforeseen disasters, ice, dogs, rude deliverees, etc., gets your package to you. Hub and spoke cargo systems. That's how it works. You obviously grossly misunderstand how package handling and tracking is managed by the big carriers. Your package doesn't go DIRECT from Miami to L.A., or whatever. That's massively cost-inefficient.

And, by the way? The USPS service subcontracts ALL, repeat, ALL, their short-term delivery carrying to....wanna guess? You see lots of US Postal Service airplanes around you? Hmmm? How do you think those packages fly around? HUB AND SPOKE. So I guess you'll have to find now some complete, other way to get your packages, because no matter which way you turn, UPS is sitting there, grinning at you.

Hitch