| Cargo airlines (or airfreight carriers, | | | | Fred Smith in Little Rock, Arkansas, but |
| and derivatives of these names) are | | | | moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1973 |
| airlines dedicated to the transport of | | | | after Little Rock airport officials |
| cargo. Some cargo airlines are divisions | | | | would not agree to provide facilities |
| or subsidiaries of larger passenger | | | | for the fledgling airline. The name was |
| airlines. | | | | chosen to symbolize a national |
| Aircraft used | | | | marketplace, and help in obtaining |
| Larger cargo airlines tend to use new or | | | | government contracts. The company |
| recently built aircraft to carry their | | | | officially began operations on April 17, |
| freight, but many use older aircraft, | | | | 1973, utilizing a network of 14 Dassault |
| like the Boeing 707, Boeing 727, Douglas | | | | Falcon 20s which connected 25 U.S. |
| DC-8, Ilyushin Il-76. Examples of the | | | | cities. FedEx, the first cargo airline |
| 60-year-old Douglas DC-3 are still | | | | that used jet aircraft for its services, |
| flying around the world carrying cargo | | | | expanded greatly after the deregulation |
| (as well as passengers). Short range | | | | of the cargo airlines sector. Federal |
| turboprop airliners such as the Fokker | | | | Express use of the hub-spoke |
| Friendship and British Aerospace ATP are | | | | distribution paradigm in air freight |
| now being modified to accept standard | | | | enabled it to become a world leader in |
| air freight pallets to extend their | | | | its field. The company operates much of |
| working lives. This normally involves | | | | its U.S. overnight freight through its |
| the replacement of glazed windows with | | | | Memphis hub. Other U.S. hubs are located |
| opaque panels, the strengthening of the | | | | in Indianapolis, Newark, Oakland, |
| cabin floor and insertion of a broad | | | | Anchorage and Fort Worth, Texas. The |
| top-hinged door in one side of the | | | | Canadian hub operates from Toronto |
| fuselage. | | | | Pearson International Airport. |
| A number of cargo airlines carry a few | | | | In August 1989 the company acquired |
| passengers from time to time on their | | | | Flying Tigers, an international cargo |
| flights, and UPS once unsuccessfully | | | | airline. It inherited Flying Tigers's |
| tried a passenger charter airline | | | | U.S. military transport contract and |
| division. | | | | carried passengers between the |
| Notable cargo airlines | | | | continental United States and overseas |
| Atlas Air (IATA: 5Y, ICAO: GTI, and | | | | military installations until October |
| Callsign: Giant) [1] is a cargo airline | | | | 1992. In January 1998 Federal Express |
| based in Purchase, New York, USA. It | | | | acquired Caliber System, Inc, which |
| operates scheduled freight flights for | | | | owned RPS, Roberts Express, Viking |
| some of the world's leading airlines, | | | | Freight and Caliber Logistics. When |
| flying to 101 cities in 46 countries. | | | | these companies combined, the new |
| Its main base is Miami International | | | | organization became known as FDX Corp. |
| Airport (MIA). | | | | The name "FedEx" had been a popular, if |
| The airline was founded in April 1992 by | | | | unofficial, abbreviation for Federal |
| the late Michael Chowdry, to specialise | | | | Express for several years before the |
| in the long-term contract outsourcing of | | | | company chose it as its primary brand |
| its Boeing 747 aircraft. It started | | | | name in 1994. The new identity was |
| operations in 1993 with one Boeing 747 | | | | revealed to the world on June 24, 1994. |
| and contracted by China Airlines. In | | | | The "Federal Express" name was |
| 1995 they began trading publicly on the | | | | eliminated entirely in 2000, when FDX |
| NASDAQ, and in 1997 appeared on the New | | | | Corporation changed its name to FedEx |
| York Stock Exchange. An initial public | | | | Corporation and adopted the tagline "The |
| offering of 4 million shares was made in | | | | World On Time" [1]. In 2000, FedEx and |
| August 1998. In 2001 the airline | | | | USPS signed a 7 year contract to carry |
| introduced a new program of leasing and | | | | all the USPS overnight and high priority |
| services, based on the ACMI model. Under | | | | mail throughout the FedEx system. The |
| this new program, Atlas Air cargo planes | | | | postal contract has recently been |
| would be available to other airlines for | | | | extented until 2012 and USPS continues |
| operations such as charter flights. In | | | | to be one of the largest customers for |
| July 2004 Atlas Air completed its | | | | FedEx. In 2001, FedEx acquired American |
| restructuring plan and emerged from | | | | Freightways and Viking Freight, two |
| Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. | | | | leading less-than-truckload carriers in |
| Recently, Polar Air Cargo pilots ended a | | | | the U.S., and combined them to create |
| 20 day labor dispute with its parent, | | | | FedEx Freight. In February 2004, FedEx |
| Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. | | | | bought Kinko's, a Dallas-based chain |
| Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. | | | | that provides printing and business |
| (NASDAQ: AAWW) wholly owns Atlas Air, | | | | services, for $2.4 billion. |
| Polar Air Cargo, and a share of Global | | | | In its advertising, the company made |
| Supply Systems (49%). | | | | famous the line "Absolutely, positively" |
| The airline was named after the famous | | | | for their overnight service; the |
| Greek God Atlas, who supposedly carried | | | | original phrase was "When it absolutely, |
| the world on his shoulders. Their symbol | | | | positively has to get there overnight." |
| on the plane's tail is a gold man | | | | Another slogan, "Relax, it's FedEx", is |
| carrying a gold world. | | | | well recognized. For several years the |
| FedEx (NYSE: FDX), properly FedEx | | | | company promoted the slogan "Don't |
| Corporation, is a courier company | | | | panic", particularly on buttons. |
| offering overnight courier, ground, | | | | Throughout Europe, the marketing tag |
| heavy freight, document copying and | | | | line is "whatever it takes", referring |
| logistics services. FedEx is a syllabic | | | | to the efforts that individual employees |
| abbreviation of the company's original | | | | will go to ensure that the package |
| name, Federal Express. | | | | arrives on time. |
| The company was founded as Federal | | | | Major competitors include DHL, TNT, UPS, |
| Express in 1971 by former U.S. Marine | | | | and the USPS. |