PurpleToolBox

Yes.

https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2...lightly-in-q3/

Amazon's rapid growth is over. You either are using Amazon now or you're not going to ever. You'd have to live under a rock not to know who they are. My dad who is computer illiterate uses Amazon only because its the easiest. Currently many other companies and stores are getting more in line with online selling and shipping so Amazon faces a bunch of competition.

However, yes, I see Amazon off-setting their shipping costs by bringing back the shipping with Amazon and it will compete against FedEx. How does FedEx survive? We already see FedEx buying companies like shoprunner.com and other online companies so as to stay relevant.

PolarTiger

Amazon is a $hit show! They treat their employees like garbage, utilize temp agencies and have record attrition in all departments of the company. Ask any Atlas 767 pilot at FedEx what a joke of an operation Prime Air is...

PurpleToolBox

I don’t think the biggest threat to a 30-year new hire is going to be Amazon. The real threat to FedEx jobs will be reduced pilots in the cockpit. Rules for RFOs will change and then at some point a manufacturer will create a single pilot heavy — or a robot is attached into the right seat (already in certification modes).

C17B74

Pre-Covid the aforementioned 2-3 year plan may have worked most likely. NOBODY in trash hauling needed any plan with the onset of COVID. Truth and sure footing will become more apparent after COVID and that’s where the rubber meets the road. It’s definitely great FedEx partnered with Microsoft and continues partner/buy others as they have in the past. All of us shippers are nothing more than transportation = horizontal entities creating nothing selling nothing really and must partner with Vertical giants to establish dominance, remain viable or be dominated, etc. Many things have changed and plenty of businesses have morphed this past year most favorably toward the cargo world. Everything will be in flux as always, just hoping we all do well and continue on. Plenty of iron laying around the world to convert to cargo movers in order to satisfy the endless couch warrior addictions.

C17B74

^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^
797 Schematics already had a Left seat only variant, Box in the right. Delayed by this current event but you can bet it will happen, maybe not tomorrow but within 10 years it’s highly plausible or 15 whatever. That’s half of the workforce sliced off the cake as PTB mentioned. If not half, at least a third.... Not discussing pilotless, like Fred who has been a top investor in such motivations (“not a pipe-dream”). Business is business.

Fr8Master

As someone who in a previous life worked very intimately with the FAA, I’m in a good position to say that this is not going to happen in the next two to three decades. This was before the political pressure faced by Boeing now that they proved their “computerized safety devices” actually make planes more likely to crash. And that is just talking about one country...now get every country those planes fly over to sign on to a single pilot type certificated wide body.

C17B74

Well then, no worries at least for half or more of us - all is well time will tell. As far as the countries overseas, they’re playing mostly with the pilotless aspect just last year. That said, they will have to go from 1 before none up front. Plenty of small outfits flying single pilot Ops at a very reduced level of automation, granted not as much responsibility/insurance issues. With 1 pilot available there will always be someone to take the blame/flesh eating lawyers. Definitely will take many years but it will happen.

*Some of us will have enjoyed our travels enough to have killed that bug by retirement age so all is well. 1 Pilot plus Alexa 5.0 on board and a grounded 75+ yr old pilot (medical not required) to monitor/doze for dollars until their expertise is required than maybe we’ll take a couple of trips. Whom I kidding, if they can rip the kid away from playing Microsoft Flight Simulator 3000 for a few minutes, I’m in

Viper25

https://www.flightglobal.com/safety/...142031.article

BlueMoon

Which is kind of odd considering the Germanwings "crash" that happened a few years ago (the article does mentions it). I thought for sure that would setback and single pilot air carrier ops for a long time.

BrianH

Agreed, the NAS is not ready for single pilot ops on a large scale. Add an emergency aircraft into the mix and it gets really interesting fast. It is not going to happen in my career.