UPS/FedEx Fleet Schedules Question
 

I have done some research in generic express air fleet scheduling. Generally, the nightly fleet schedule involves x number of aircraft leaving the same number of cities enroute to the hub each night. Along the way some will make one or two enroute stops and others will fly nonstop to the hub. The same would be true of the return flights to the cities of origin.

Would this accurately describe the nightly fleet schedule at UPS and FedEx? If so, are there significant changes from month to month?

Correct, Sam. During the months leading up to Christmas it's not unusual to see additional airplanes added for the increased freight.
fbh

Careful now. New poster asking schedule questions that border on SSI.

X, I appreciate your concern. I am asking about info that could be derived a lot more arduously from flightaware. I just want to make sure my model reflects reality. I think I can reduce direct operating costs by about 3% using an algorithm derived from my research.

You're right, X. Next thing he'll be asking are our catering parameters. ;)

fbh

On behalf of pilots at both carriers, please keep your "optimization" to yourself.

I'm interested in that. What do you see as the negative effects of process improvements on the crews? My algorithm cannot deliver optimization.

Or he will be asking "What Airline"? :p

Sam,

What do you think goes on at UPS and FedEx Express? Do you think that the guys responsible for getting every ounce out of every pound of whatever, be it jet fuel, diesel fuel for trucks, people, equipment, etc, don't pay attention to maximizing profits by minimizing operating costs? Perhaps your algorithm is better than theirs, which would be hard to believe. But if that were the case, you shouldn't be talking with dumb-assed pilots here. You should be talking with guys like Ronald T. Piervincenzi and Fred Smith. Good luck. Really. No kidding.

My algorithm says this thread is going nowhere.

Are you that guy who says an earthquake is gonna swallow up RWY 27 KMEM due to cracks in the concrete?

Don't know much about your algorithm, but you have to remember that FedEx (and I'm sure UPS) are not about doing it cheapest. We are trying to protect a brand name. We want to deliver as close to 100% of our packages on time every day. FedEx has several planes every night that fly empty on strange routes just to be able to drop in on a city if the scheduled flight from that city breaks or is delayed. Where would that fit into your algorithm? As JetJok said, I'm pretty sure the FedEx guys run the numbers every night.

Nah, it doesn't work that way here at brown. Our cost saving algorithm, or brown-'o-rithm is very straight forward.
The management's well-being is directly but inversely proportional to line pilots' well-being. I.e., the more they screw with us - the happier they get.

Truth be told ... damage estimates for the Memphis area from a potential New Madrid Fault earthquake are catastrophic. It's responsible for some of the largest magnitude quakes ever recorded in North America!

New Madrid Seismic Zone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


:eek::eek::eek:

Times have changed at Brown, it is all about the cheapest. Service failures can be blamed on weather, etc.

Its gotten so bad, rumor has it that the name is actually UP, the 'S' has been dropped to save a dollar.

I know they each have operations research whizzes who do some great stuff. I studied their efforts in my research. One said that they developed its schedules using linear programming which has its limits for solving big, complex problems. The problem was so big, they broke it into pie slices. Solutions for routing in the center of the slice were great but the closer to the slice edge they got, the less good they were.

I was in discussions with some planners at the other carrier and they were very enthusiastic about what I had to say UNTIL I asked for a non-disclosure agreement. Then, everything went silent.

I strongly believe in my idea and would like to see one of the two implement it.

No. In fact, I recently chided someone posting on the internal board at my carrier for worrying about a spate of 2.0-2.9 earthquakes near one of our hubs.

Maintaining service standards is a critical element of my plan. It also provides solutions for the broken schedule problem.

I'm currently enjoying 7 weeks of white space on my calendar with full pay by "optimizing" 2 weeks of vacation and "optimizing" my trips on the front and back end of the vacation. "Optimization" works just fine "as is" for me right now.

Samuelson,
Be very careful with optimization. We ( UPS) just felt the sting of optimization on Wall Street Friday after our departed CEO tried to optimize and bean count his way to prosperity. He left quite a mess and a couple of less pilots who paid the ultimate price for "optimized" schedules.