FIRST-CLASS SERVICE GETS, UNIMAGINABLY, WORSE. MARKETING MAIL A TOUCH BETTER.
On-time delivery became worse for First-Class letters, with 70.9% on time. First-Class flats were on time 33.7% of the time. Letters were more than 5 days late 11.87% of the time. The average delivery time for letters improved to 4.80 days, 4.71 days for flats.
First-Class letters were particularly slow in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, averaging 8.38, 8.28, and 7.92 days, respectively. Those three states all underperformed Guam, where you could get a letter in 7.64 days. Ironically, the fastest service in the United States was to Hawaii, at 2.90 days. They must use airplanes or something to get the mail there. Imagine that.
Marketing Mail letters and flats improved a bit to 94.5% and 93.4% respectively. Interestingly, the slowest state for Marketing Mail Letters was…you guessed it – Hawaii. I guess boats are slower than planes.
Trucks are slower than planes, too. The slowest states from First-Class letters looked OK for Marketing Mail. This would indicate that the facilities in those states are working OK, but the “middle mile” isn’t. Transportation delays seemed to be the issue.
There was an Industry Alert issued on Friday that it is winter, and your mail might be 4 or 5 days late because it’s all slippery out. I paraphrase.
