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Primed for growth: Amazon Air's freighter fleet, flight activity, and payload capacity compared to FedEx and UPS

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  • Schwieterman, Joseph P.
  • Craig, Carrie

Abstract

This article measures the growing scale and geographic scope of Amazon Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of the retailing giant Amazon, between May 2020, near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and September 2022. It evaluates data on Amazon Air's evolving flight operations and compares its payload capacity with FedEx Express and United Parcel Service (UPS), both prominent air-cargo integrators focused heavily on retail package delivery. It reviews the technical specifications of the 21 types of planes in their fleets to assess their growth rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Schwieterman, Joseph P. & Craig, Carrie, 2023. "Primed for growth: Amazon Air's freighter fleet, flight activity, and payload capacity compared to FedEx and UPS," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:retrec:v:101:y:2023:i:c:s073988592300077x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.retrec.2023.101337
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joseph Schwieterman & Euan Hague, 2022. "The Evolving Role and Scale of Cargo-Focused Hub Airports in the United States, 2003–2020," Advances in Airline Economics, in: The International Air Cargo Industry, volume 9, pages 117-139, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    2. Bowen, John T., 2012. "A spatial analysis of FedEx and UPS: hubs, spokes, and network structure," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 419-431.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Air cargo; e-commerce; Cargo airports;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J40 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - General
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts
    • J42 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Monopsony; Segmented Labor Markets

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