BIRD SHIPPING UPDATE

 

                                                 

August 18, 2006

TO:       AU Electronic Newsletter Subscribers
FROM:  AU National Office
RE:       Shipping Improvements

The AU has continued efforts to work with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to ease shipping restraints for members.  We have reported the progress of S. 2395 and asked recently for your assistance writing Senators and elected officials to support the proposed legislation, which would require all air carriers that have contracts with the USPS to carry lives as mail.  We appreciate your help.  Every indication is that this legislative effort highly motivated the carriers to come to the table and reach an agreement with the USPS.

We have also reported that the USPS facilitated communication between major carriers and the American Racing Pigeon Union.  Those carriers are now closer to shipping lives.  Though details aren't completely finalized, we have received confirmation that Federal Express and United Parcel Service (UPS) will begin accepting lives as mail.  The details will be critical in determining how comprehensive and useful this new service will be, but we are hopeful.

The USPS advises that UPS will accept lives once they have their network in place.  We anticipate this to begin mid to late September.

Additionally, Federal Express signed a new agreement with USPS.  Under this contract they are required to carry live animals, effective October 1, 2006.  They will carry lives on both their networks (day and night).  Again, once details are finalized, we will get that information to members so you will know what shipping procedures will be.

This is a very positive move and should help ease our shipping problems.  Your lobbyist, Greg, and the AU national office have been working for some time to affect positive change and it appears to have been successful.

We are also told by the USPS that Kitty Hawk will end their relationship with the USPS effective October 1, 2006.  When they discontinue accepting lives, the surcharge will revert back to $0.20 everywhere except Minneapolis and Detroit where Northwest Airlines is used.  These two markets are still being evaluated.

We will get more information out to you as soon as it is received.

Thank you.

 

HERE IS SOME GREAT NEWS   POSTED AUGUST 31.2006   11:30 PM PST

 

Horizon has received confirmation that Federal Express and United Parcel
Service (UPS) will begin accepting lives as USPS mail. The details will be
critical in determining how comprehensive and useful this new service will be, but
we are hopeful.
The USPS advises that UPS will accept lives once they have their network in
place. We anticipate this to begin mid to late September.

Additionally, Federal Express signed a new agreement with USPS. Under this
contract they are required to carry live animals, effective October 1, 2006.
They will carry lives on both their networks (day and night). Again, the devil is
in the details. I will keep you posted.

We are also told by the USPS that Kitty Hawk will end their relationship with
the USPS effective October 1, 2006. When they discontinue accepting lives,
the surcharge will revert back to $0.20 everywhere except Minneapolis and
Detroit where Northwest Airlines is used. These two markets are still being
evaluated.
__________________________________________________________
REUTERS
6:12 a.m. August 1, 2006
BOSTON – Package-delivery company FedEx Corp. and the U.S. Postal Service
Tuesday said they had renewed through 2013 an agreement for FedEx's FedEx Express
unit to transport domestic mail by air.
The contract, expected to generate about $8 billion in revenue over its
seven-year life span, calls for FedEx Express to transport about 4 million pounds
of mail between U.S. airports each day.
__________________________________________________________

This is a very positive move and should help ease our shipping problems.
Bird shippers.org and the AU national office have been working for some time to
affect positive change and it appears to have been successful.

Thank you,

George P. Drewry
Owner, Horizon Micro-Environments, LLC
(800) 443-2498
george@hm-e.net

www.hm-e.net Bio-secure transporters for USPS shipping
www.petports.com for non-Bio-secure transporters
 

 

 

 

clhe