In the UK we’ve been warned of possible problems with Post Office strikes and, of course, there are ongoing problems on Southern Railways. Strikes in Greece and Germany are affecting the postal service and there are reported customs problems in France too. But it also seems Amazon is having problems with industrial relations in the US as well.
This is the first Christmas that Amazon has been using Amazon Prime Air to expedite its deliveries. That’s a fleet of roughly 40 aeroplanes that Amazon launched to reduce its reliance on FedEx and UPS. But all is not well.
Last week, a federal judge ruled that striking pilots from the Airline Professionals Association with concerns about pay, working conditions and staffing shortages involved with the service should go back to work.
But the union has taken to the media and is telling Amazon customers that they should think twice about making last minute purchases because the network may not be able to deliver.
The union has launched a website called canamazondeliver.com
As the Airline Professionals Association website says: “Amazon just launched its own airline shipping service, Prime Air, but without the staff or expertise to run its own airline, the company is relying on third-party contracted cargo airlines for deliveries.
“These contracted Prime Air airlines are facing significant operational disruptions. The airlines don’t have enough pilots to meet the demands of Amazon because their experienced pilots are leaving for better jobs at other airlines.
“By working with airlines that keep losing pilots and have disruptions in service, Amazon is making a big bet that it can deliver its packages on time. At this rate, there may not be enough pilots to deliver for Amazon around the holidays.”
