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I transport exotic and unusual shipments for FedEx. AMA (self.IAmA)

submitted ago* by DavidLange

Good Morning reddit!

My name is Dave Lange – I’m the Managing Director of the Aircraft Charters Department at FedEx Express. Basically we handle shipments that require the entire plane – from antique car collections and satellites to endangered giant pandas and race horses. Some of our most interesting (and delicate) passengers are live animals. This has included Penguins and Sea Otters displaced by Hurricane Katrina, Dolphins and Whales taking up temporary residence in Connecticut, and Giant Pandas from China.

I’ll begin answering questions at 12:00pm EDT Ask Me Anything!

*Edit - Link from FedEx Twitter

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[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]DavidLange[S] 767 points768 points ago

We've run charters for small pieces of machinery or IT equipment in the case of a plant or system shutdown, where the cost of the shipment paled in comparison to losing the plant. We've handled several of those situations.

[–]6DemonBag 1518 points1519 points ago*

When one oil/gas company I know's plant went down they were told it would be 26 weeks to get the new, specially fabricated machine to get the plant running again.

Screw that...they bought the company that made it, moved their order to the front of the line, got it in 12 weeks and then sold the small company.

They saved about $100 million dollars in lost profit by doing this.

[–]Benemortis 532 points533 points ago

That's called gettin that shit done

[–][deleted] 63 points64 points ago

We use that all the time at the sewage treatment plant I work at.

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    [–]gsxr 179 points180 points ago

    I'm in IT, some of the most fun I've ever had is when equipment that is busniess critical is down. When suggestions like "fuck it, just give them a million dollars and tell them now" start sounding reasonable, good times are had.

    [–]networkguru 27 points28 points ago

    And then of course they ship it and fed ex hands it to a drugged out courier for delivery.

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      [–]slyphox 556 points557 points ago

      Screw that...they bought the company that made it, moved their order to the front of the line, got it in 12 weeks and then sold the small company.

      That sounds like a nightmare for HR but that is a pretty ingenious solution.

      [–]lrdm 255 points256 points ago

      Not if they kept it an independently operated but wholly owned subsidiary.

      [–]slyphox 103 points104 points ago

      I never said I was good at this... That is a good workaround!

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        [–]Unfuck 200 points201 points ago

        Not so much an ingenius solution as a testament to the fact that you can solve any problem with enough money.

        [–][deleted] ago

        [deleted]

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          [–]lilrabbit129 106 points107 points ago

          That's the Scrouge McDuck way of doing things. Or Sato from Inception. Take your pick.

          [–]Cheimon 17 points18 points ago

          Or Bruce Wayne. Need to get some gear without people realising it?

          You could spend quite some time getting the right contacts and having it delivered secretly and carefully...but what the hell, let's go wholesale and order 1,000 copies.

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            [–]Kubaker1 14 points15 points ago

            [The team are discussing a method to get Fischer by himself] Eames: We need at least a good ten hours.

            Saito: Sydney to Los Angeles. One of the longest flights in the world. He makes it every two weeks.

            Cobb: He must be flying privately.

            Saito: Not if there was unexpected maintenance with his plane …

            Arthur: It would have to be a 747.

            Cobb: Why is that?

            Arthur: Because on a 747 the pilot is up top, and the first class cabin is in the nose, so no one would walk through. But you'd have to buy out the entire cabin. And the first class flight attendant.

            Saito: I bought the airline. [Everyone looks at him incredulously]

            Saito: It seemed neater.

            Cobb: Looks like we have our ten hours.

            The inception quote you're thinking of.

            [–]twentyseventy 11 points12 points ago

            I bought the airline. It seemed.... simpler...

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              [–]LachyG 90 points91 points ago

              Any notorious or high profile ones? Do you ever have situations were you need to use a high(er) speed carrier? Do you have high(er) speed carriers?

              [–]DimeShake 146 points147 points ago

              The SR-71 experimental Courier Transport

              [–]ern19 48 points49 points ago

              With optional parachute drop from 100,000 feet.

              [–]boomfarmer 44 points45 points ago

              And the even-more-optional parachute drop from 5 feet.

              [–]CuedUp 27 points28 points ago

              Nice alt-text.

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                  [–]candre23 71 points72 points ago

                  I had a 30-ton (cooling capacity, not weight) scroll compressor overnighted from China to NJ for a building once. When having a building down costs a company several million dollars per day, shipping costs aren't really a sticking point.

                  [–]AppleGuySnake 10 points11 points ago

                  What is a scroll compressor?

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                    [–]perthguppy 39 points40 points ago

                    I personally have had a situation where i needed to get a server accross australia with an hours notice, and only have a few hours down time of the server. In that case i think we convinced the airline to let us take the server in carryon or something (i wasnt the guy who had to take it luckily)

                    [–]edman007 10 points11 points ago

                    This is pertty common with some military stuff, they will just buy the box a seat on the plane and put it on the seat so its exempt from the standard equipment, the $300 shipping fee is the cheapest option because it needs 24x7 supervision during shipping.

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                        [–]choldredge 397 points398 points ago

                        I'll bet you quite a bit that it was a backup tape or five. You don't charter the whole plane because you need the space. You charter the whole plane because it can leave SOON, get here FAST, and bring what you need exactly where you need it. When your ongoing losses are being measured in megabucks per hour, or even per minute, waiting 'til morning when a courier can fly commercial is a staggering waste of money.

                        [–]700express 104 points105 points ago

                        Backup tape?

                        [–][deleted] ago*

                        [deleted]

                        [–]chops11 146 points147 points ago

                        i work in the industry as well, and got all choked up that someone else knew this went on. I've personally sat in the jump seat of a plane with just pilots and backpack full of tapes. I wore dark sunglasses to make it seem more official.

                        [–]FarTooLong 427 points428 points ago

                        Seeing as you devoted your entire life to that paragraph, I feel bad no one's upvoted it. Especially since I once got 1000 karma for saying penis.

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                          [–]yufice 111 points112 points ago

                          When he runs out of scotch tape, it's a big deal.

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                            [–]AliveInTheFuture 11 points12 points ago

                            That stuff is normally handled in what is called the "counter-to-counter" process, where it actually gets on the next commercial plane from A to Z.

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                                [–]verycoolguy 104 points105 points ago

                                How much does it cost (a range is fine) to charter an entire airplane for cargo like that? I think most people (including myself) have absolutely no idea.

                                [–]DavidLange[S] 115 points116 points ago

                                The cost of the charter is totally dependent on the type of plane you need (size) and the distance you're traveling. Think about it as someone moving across country - if you live in a studio you can do it in a small U-Haul trailer; if you're moving a house in the suburbs you might need an 18-wheeler. It's like that when you move from a 727 to a 777. In a "block hour" - which is how we track this - the price could start at anywhere from 5 to 15 thousand dollars.

                                [–]idiot900 62 points63 points ago

                                How do you measure a block hour? Say a plane pushes back and then is directed by ground control to sit on the ground for an hour. Does it cost the customer an extra $5-15k for the plane to sit there with engines off for the hour?

                                Also, how much of a difference does the cost of fuel make to your bottom line? Seems like old planes like DC-10, MD-11, 727 are still in use as cargo planes, while passenger airlines don't really fly those anymore.

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                                  [–]siriuslyred 211 points212 points ago

                                  How much does it cost to ship a penguin? Say from just outside the New York Zoo to a small village in southern England?

                                  [–]DavidLange[S] 251 points252 points ago

                                  $34.22.

                                  Seriously though, the cost of shipment is the charter plane, not what you put on it. You'd have to charter the plane based on the size of the aircraft and the distance you're flying - it's not a cost per pound.

                                  [–]FlexorCarpiUlnaris 90 points91 points ago

                                  Ballpark it. How much does it cost to charter your smallest cargo plane?

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                                    [–]grant0 48 points49 points ago

                                    YES PLEASE. Also, for contrast, a blue whale.

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                                      [–]whatever_idc 260 points261 points ago

                                      What's the weirdest thing you ever had to transport?

                                      [–]MikeOnFire 148 points149 points ago

                                      And the natural follow-up: What are some things that were too weird to transport?

                                      [–]DavidLange[S] 409 points410 points ago

                                      Well, what do you consider weird! Nothing we ship is particularly weird, but just a little bit different than a charter we've done before. We've shipped rhinos, tiger sharks, penguins...all are a little bit different and require different needs.

                                      The heaviest load we ever moved was 217,000 pounds of high protein bars from Paris to Nairobi for UNICEF.

                                      Our job is to make sure we safely and securely deliver the animal or shipment to its destination.

                                      [–]LachyG 177 points178 points ago

                                      Weird as in: billionaire playboy wants some exotic candy that they only make in some far out country and charters a FedEx plane to have it delivered "safely and securely"

                                      [–]tombrend 54 points55 points ago

                                      Since when did "exotic candy" become slang for heroin?

                                      [–]FlexorCarpiUlnaris 67 points68 points ago

                                      That sounds like a job for his own private plane. I assume that charters are for people whose shipments need more space than their own airplanes can provide.

                                      [–]spuddeh 22 points23 points ago

                                      What if he wanted a lot of candy?

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                                          [–]Neebat 54 points55 points ago

                                          Chartering a plane for protein bars is pretty damned weird.

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                                              [–]MickeyFinns 253 points254 points ago

                                              What is the worst thing that has gone wrong on one of these charters? How was it handled?

                                              Any trouble with people using it for illegal shipments?

                                              [–]iamnotatroll 126 points127 points ago

                                              I once heard a disgruntled employee decided he was going to down the jet onto company hq, attacked the rest of the crew with a hammer. The flight crew were/was able to maneuver the jet in such an extreme fashion as to knock the attacker off balance subdue and detain him. The interior was all bloody when they finally landed.

                                              [–]elsee28 142 points143 points ago

                                              Link to the wikipedia page

                                              [–]moobeat 92 points93 points ago

                                              Holy shit

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                                                  [–]RCPMHawkeye 517 points518 points ago

                                                  A guy was flying a volleyball across the ocean one time, had some issues, befriended the volleyball and was found. The end.

                                                  [–]32con 90 points91 points ago

                                                  This would make a great plot for a movie!

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                                                    [–]grant0 230 points231 points ago

                                                    The animals don't interest me as much as some of the other things you've transported, mostly because I get why you'd need to transport animals (zoos, research facilities, breeding facilities for endangered species).

                                                    But why would any person or agency that owns a satellite not also have their own airplane?

                                                    Do you ever transport top-secret items – for example, do you ever charter a plane to transport an unspecified item that nobody at FedEx is able to know about?

                                                    Do clients bring their own security aboard the plane?

                                                    Have you ever transported a person (alive or dead)?

                                                    [–]DavidLange[S] 248 points249 points ago

                                                    The cost to maintain an airplane is significant, and cargo airplanes aren't as common. If you have a one-time requirement to ship every so often, then it doesn't make sense to own your own plane. Owning a small jet is expensive, let alone a cargo airplane.

                                                    Yes, we do transport top-secret items. Can I tell you what they are, no!

                                                    With regards to whether we transport people...With the animal shipments, like this weekend's panda delivery, attendants from the zoo/aquarium are there to administer to the safety and security, health and welfare of the animal on board. We want the animals to be as comfortable and calm as possible while on the aircraft.

                                                    [–]vyme 69 points70 points ago

                                                    Do you know what the top-secret items are? Somewhere above you said something about having to know what you're shipping, so does that mean you have some significant amount of security clearance?

                                                    [–]mejelic 37 points38 points ago

                                                    How many super top secret things are out there that are not government owned in some way? The government DOES have a fleet of cargo planes and can transport their own top secret things.

                                                    [–]meomeomeo 18 points19 points ago

                                                    I assume prototypes of high tech stuff and machines.

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                                                      [–]jeffh4 101 points102 points ago*

                                                      Hi. Deal with classified stuff on occasion.

                                                      The key phrase here is "need to know." The shipping company will need to know the dimensions of the package and the weight. They will need to know if the item has any safety hazards (feuled, etc.) They do not need to know any the classified details of the contents that are not pertinent to shipping the item. E.g. description = satellite, not description = keyhole satellite #24A complete with cryptographic keys 1A, 2B, 3B.

                                                      If the weight of an item is classified, then its possible that a range of weights would not be classified, or that the flight crew is told the weight at the time of departure with instructions not to record it. This assumes the sender has already verified that the transportation method can accommodate the weight of the item to be transported.

                                                      Also, there are probably people working for FedEx who have different levels of security clearance, including approved systems/containers for storing the required paperwork and data for classified shipments.

                                                      [–]TrogdorLLC 27 points28 points ago

                                                      Or, pad the box with lead weights to mask the true weight.

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                                                            [–]DragonLordNL 40 points41 points ago

                                                            But why would any person or agency that owns a satellite not also have their own airplane?

                                                            Why would they need a plane for those 3-4 launches a year at most? That would mean the plane would be useless for at least 340+ days a year without any reason.

                                                            Professional shipping companies are far more professional at shipping special stuff because they have more experience and can efficiently employ way more experts.

                                                            [–]eric-neg 31 points32 points ago

                                                            In regards to your second question:

                                                            An aircraft isn't like a big rig truck. You have to purchase it, hire pilots, hire mechanics or outsource that, have at least one employee to keep track of records, have a stockpile of spare/consumable parts for replacements that can easily cost over a million dollars for a large jet, regularly perform time based maintenance items even if you aren't flying it, plus selling the aircraft when you are done can be nearly impossible. An aircraft that can carry the larger items they are talking about (cars/satellites/elephants) means that all of those costs are a lot higher than a smaller aircraft.

                                                            TLDR: Someone else can likely do it cheaper since the overhead costs for operating an aircraft are so large.

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                                                              [–]iaccidentlytheworld 382 points383 points ago

                                                              How do you transport whales?

                                                              [–]DavidLange[S] 580 points581 points ago

                                                              Very carefully...

                                                              We typically ship whales in a sling in a tank with water provided by the zoo or aquarium where they can be kept wet throughout transit.

                                                              Typically the aquarium's vet/caretakers will travel with the animal as attendants, making sure the whale is happy and calm throughout the trip.

                                                              The tank and the whale itself usually weigh between 5 and 6 thousand pounds, which is well within the weight limit of the plane, so that isn't a problem.

                                                              [–]ShartyMcPeePants 732 points733 points ago

                                                              Does the whale get pissed when he has to watch an Adam Sandler movie?

                                                              [–]LachyG 92 points93 points ago

                                                              That's crazy, but pretty cool! What sort of emergency plans do you have in place in case something happens in the air?

                                                              [–][deleted] 638 points639 points ago

                                                              Crash in the ocean, ride the whale to land.

                                                              [–]Heyblinken 30 points31 points ago

                                                              Brilliant.....just, brilliant

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                                                                [–]DreamcastFanboy 29 points30 points ago

                                                                Parachutes.

                                                                [–]shstmo 51 points52 points ago

                                                                All flights are required to carry a Volleyball named Wilson in the cockpit.

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                                                                  [–]nosecohn 77 points78 points ago

                                                                  What is the weight limit of your largest aircraft?

                                                                  [–]completelydeck 194 points195 points ago

                                                                  That would be the Boeing 777F. Max takeoff weight is 341,105kg (752,000lb). Maximum payload, though, is 226,000 lb (103,000 kg). The range at max payload is 4,900 nmi (9,070 km).

                                                                  Cabin width is 19ft, 3 in.

                                                                  [–]reliable_information 340 points341 points ago

                                                                  Finally, a plane capable of carrying your mother.

                                                                  [–]hakuna_tamata 61 points62 points ago

                                                                  does the F in 777f indeed stand for fedex

                                                                  [–]radeky 463 points464 points ago

                                                                  No, it stands for fuckton. Its how much it can carry.

                                                                  [–]LakeRat 53 points54 points ago

                                                                  Is that a metric fuckton or an imperial fuckton?

                                                                  [–]wsomma 26 points27 points ago

                                                                  TIL 1 fuckton = 226,000 lbs

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                                                                    [–]shooptek 52 points53 points ago

                                                                    It stands for 777 Freight.

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                                                                      [–]SpectrallyAccurate 30 points31 points ago

                                                                      341,105kg

                                                                      i wonder if they kept upping the payload, finally resulting in a crash at 341,106kg.

                                                                      [–]tinyroom 29 points30 points ago

                                                                      if this is a genuine question: all theoretical, including a safety margin.

                                                                      if not, sorry to ruin your joke

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                                                                            [–]Dark_Green_Blanket 21 points22 points ago

                                                                            i live in a flight path, and now will be eternally curious as to if there is a whale in the plane above my house or not.

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                                                                              [–]captpickard 113 points114 points ago

                                                                              Transparent Aluminum!

                                                                              [–]bigdaddyhame 16 points17 points ago

                                                                              "There be WHALES here!"

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                                                                                [–]TheGreatWhiteFunk 214 points215 points ago

                                                                                A bunch of skateboards wedged under a swimming pool. Willzyx, duhh.

                                                                                [–]SpermWhale 195 points196 points ago*

                                                                                No, whales are transported using a whale chair, or an oversize whale barrow. And when on the long haul, whales are put in on a 10-whaler truck (with other whales so it wont get lonely).

                                                                                [–]thescarwar 53 points54 points ago

                                                                                To orcanize such a move would take some serious whale power

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                                                                                  [–]mattjeast 55 points56 points ago

                                                                                  RIP.

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                                                                                    [–]SimAndy 300 points301 points ago

                                                                                    Well to start with you need to know how heavy they are. So you take them to the wailway station!!

                                                                                    [–]tomot 146 points147 points ago

                                                                                    I know, right!

                                                                                    [–]englishgentabouttown 79 points80 points ago

                                                                                    I will admit I smiled. Then I was sad at myself.

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                                                                                      [–]sheldonjp 28 points29 points ago

                                                                                      Klingon Warbird.

                                                                                      [–]NadaThrowaway 12 points13 points ago

                                                                                      This is how UPS transported whale sharks so that's pretty much the same, right?

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                                                                                        [–]boogabooga08 195 points196 points ago

                                                                                        What is the most expensive item that you have ever had to transport?

                                                                                        [–]DavidLange[S] 251 points252 points ago

                                                                                        Not sure if I can say that one to protect shipper confidentiality, but we've transported cars, satellites, and other objects of high value. Some can be valued from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars.

                                                                                        [–]LachyG 135 points136 points ago

                                                                                        Conversely, what is the least expensive item that you have ever had to transport?

                                                                                        [–]DavidLange[S] 429 points430 points ago

                                                                                        We're a premium service, so the monetary value of the items being shipped might not be as high as the end value to the customer. If it wasn't extremely valuable to the shipper, they wouldn't be chartering a plane with us in the first place.

                                                                                        It's not about dollar amount, but the speed we can deliver items when they are needed somewhere right now.

                                                                                        For example, moving 150,000 pounds of plastic sheeting from China to Port-au-Prince wasn't a monetarily valuable shipment, however it was extremely important to the lives of the people in Haiti.

                                                                                        [–]firenlasers 196 points197 points ago

                                                                                        I just wanted to say that this is one of the coolest AMAs I've seen. Thanks for taking the time to do it!

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                                                                                            [–]hashbrowncipher 14 points15 points ago

                                                                                            What sort of insurance policy do you provide your clients? Is a different policy written for each charter, or is there some sort of blanket cover? For high value items, how much is the insurance in relation to the total cost of the charter?

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                                                                                              [–]succhiotto 31 points32 points ago

                                                                                              I had a package going by ground today that was over $750,000 in a small wooden crate for an engineering building at the university. Not sure what it was.

                                                                                              [–]waldron76 54 points55 points ago

                                                                                              Heroin.

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                                                                                                  [–]molrobocop 402 points403 points ago

                                                                                                  How would you handle transporting a crate full of venomous snakes? And what would be the contingency plan be if the crate had a time-release mechanism, and they were suddenly let loose inside the plan. Also, Samuel L. Jackson is on board.

                                                                                                  [–]DavidLange[S] 381 points382 points ago

                                                                                                  We've never run a charter for venomous snakes before! We'll leave that to Mr. Jackson.

                                                                                                  [–]strolls 153 points154 points ago

                                                                                                  What about if I have a dozen highly-dangerous federal inmates I need to move between prisons, plus one former Army Ranger who is about to be released after serving 7 years for an accidental manslaughter?

                                                                                                  [–][deleted] 59 points60 points ago

                                                                                                  and a bunneh

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                                                                                                      [–]cibyr 217 points218 points ago

                                                                                                      Samuel L. Jackson is the contingency plan.

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                                                                                                        [–]jasonmb17 603 points604 points ago

                                                                                                        Two part question - is Operation Dumbo Drop your favorite movie, and if so, had you been playing Danny Glover's role - what would you have done differently to ensure safe delivery of the elephant?

                                                                                                        [–]DavidLange[S] 415 points416 points ago

                                                                                                        I have seen that movie - I definitely wouldn't recommend ever dropping an elephant out of an airplane with a parachute. We likely would have gone with a land operation.

                                                                                                        [–]LachyG 133 points134 points ago

                                                                                                        Well that's no fun! Any animals you would recommend dropping out of an airplane with a parachute?

                                                                                                        [–]Enterice 201 points202 points ago

                                                                                                        Drop-bears.

                                                                                                        [–]DingoBlaze 97 points98 points ago

                                                                                                        Birds.

                                                                                                        [–]Citisol 105 points106 points ago

                                                                                                        A snookie would get my approval for an airdrop.

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                                                                                                              [–]ducktomguy 50 points51 points ago

                                                                                                              have you ever rejected a shipment for being too fragile/heavy/oddly shaped?

                                                                                                              [–]DavidLange[S] 79 points80 points ago

                                                                                                              Our fleet of aircraft certainly have specific requirements (weight limits, size, for example). There have occasionally been shippers that have come to us with needs that our aircraft fleet just cant support (too heavy, too big, won't fit through the cargo door). When that happens we, regrettably, have to tell them we can't help them this time around.

                                                                                                              [–]youdownwithop 154 points155 points ago

                                                                                                              Do your customers still get tracking numbers?

                                                                                                              [–]DavidLange[S] 195 points196 points ago

                                                                                                              In the charter world they don't get a tracking number, they get a flight number.

                                                                                                              *We do also keep shippers updated on the status of the flight, but you can't track that on fedex.com.

                                                                                                              [–]gizmo1024 40 points41 points ago

                                                                                                              Tracking Package: Your flight has derailed in Albuquerque, NM

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                                                                                                                [–]grant0 83 points84 points ago

                                                                                                                And are they still wildly unreliable?

                                                                                                                [–]ZorbaTHut 213 points214 points ago

                                                                                                                "Look, it says on your website that my whale has been delivered and signed for, but I swear the driver hasn't even shown up!"

                                                                                                                [–]darksober 169 points170 points ago

                                                                                                                Have you checked under your front door mat?

                                                                                                                [–]twbassist 35 points36 points ago

                                                                                                                Will try again tomorrow.

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                                                                                                                      [–]reccaikari 277 points278 points ago

                                                                                                                      Have you ever shipped something and didn't know what it was? Like a sealed crate that the client asked to never be opened?

                                                                                                                      Do you think you ever illegally smuggled something without your knowledge? Or do you turn a blindeye for the paycheck?

                                                                                                                      [–]DavidLange[S] 318 points319 points ago

                                                                                                                      No - we are required to make sure whatever we carry is legal and meets our own internal safety and security requirements, meaning, we always know exactly what we are shipping for any type of charter we operate.

                                                                                                                      Similar to a passenger airline, the cargo we carry has to go through careful security and screening processes around the world.

                                                                                                                      [–]slyphox 65 points66 points ago

                                                                                                                      Would your department happen to operate the "Custom Critical" FedEx trucks I see on the highway?

                                                                                                                      They look perfect for hauling a car.

                                                                                                                      [–]statikuz 53 points54 points ago*

                                                                                                                      I believe that's a different unit, but they may work together. Those smaller trucks you see (I think they're called C and D units) probably wouldn't ship a vehicle (although it has probably been done), usually they handle a lot of pharma shipments, and anything expensive that needs to get there fast. The industry is generally called "expediting."

                                                                                                                      Here's a FedEx CC auto transporter:

                                                                                                                      https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ru092G77ph8/SlFssbcxafI/AAAAAAAAEJc/4Ho2oCtSDdY/s1024/2570573770058804159dlSKQJ_fs.jpg

                                                                                                                      [–]YourACoolGuy 8 points9 points ago

                                                                                                                      You spelled Megatron wrong.

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                                                                                                                            [–]special2plumsfor1 44 points45 points ago

                                                                                                                            I really doubt he's going to admit that he's turned a blind eye to smuggling, given that his identity is in the AMA description text.

                                                                                                                            [–]MickeyFinns 64 points65 points ago

                                                                                                                            This happens all the time with shipping containers. They are given a manifest of what's in it and will only actually check if there is something odd like high radiation, noise or odour coming from the container. I'd guess that they may do random check as well.

                                                                                                                            [–]seamonkee 29 points30 points ago

                                                                                                                            Yup. Random check and xrays. Also, weight vs supposed contents is another thing they look for.

                                                                                                                            [–]AnimalFarmPig 10 points11 points ago

                                                                                                                            When I send out containers, we put a plastic seal on the door handle and record the seal number. The container can only be opened by cutting the seal.

                                                                                                                            This isn't exactly super high security (with proper planning, one could have a duplicate seal made), but it discourages casual snooping or tampering.

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                                                                                                                              [–]Neebat 149 points150 points ago

                                                                                                                              They should clean the employee breakroom more often.

                                                                                                                              [–]lotuseyes 14 points15 points ago

                                                                                                                              I got a weird starship troops vibe from you.

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                                                                                                                                  [–]verycoolguy 489 points490 points ago

                                                                                                                                  Could I rent out the entire plane for a kick ass party instead of a cargo transport?

                                                                                                                                  [–]DavidLange[S] 677 points678 points ago

                                                                                                                                  No.

                                                                                                                                  [–]TheArchiteck 426 points427 points ago

                                                                                                                                  What if the cargo was a group of drunks? And they had to remain drunk?

                                                                                                                                  [–]famousmadphilosopher 90 points91 points ago

                                                                                                                                  ... FOR SCIENCE!

                                                                                                                                  We're, uh, studying the effects of long-term intoxication but our breathalyzer broke?

                                                                                                                                  No? We're studying the effects of extended high-altitude flight on the body while intoxicated.

                                                                                                                                  No? Well shit. I'm out.

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                                                                                                                                    [–]AmazingRealist 175 points176 points ago

                                                                                                                                    What if i want to rent it to transport a party somewhere?

                                                                                                                                    [–]huitlacoche 33 points34 points ago

                                                                                                                                    What if he needs to deliver a party from point A to point A?

                                                                                                                                    [–]FlexorCarpiUlnaris 124 points125 points ago

                                                                                                                                    Why can't I stop laughing?

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                                                                                                                                        [–]SwedishMoose 868 points869 points ago

                                                                                                                                        I remember you. You took me from Sweden to a zoo in America. Bastard.

                                                                                                                                        [–]DavidLange[S] 948 points949 points ago

                                                                                                                                        Hope you had a great flight on FedEx.

                                                                                                                                        [–]rhapsodyinblue 92 points93 points ago

                                                                                                                                        This is my favorite response thusfar.

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                                                                                                                                          [–]perfektstranger 54 points55 points ago

                                                                                                                                          We've already got mooses over here son. You better be pretty cool lookin'

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                                                                                                                                            [–]AppleGuySnake 99 points100 points ago

                                                                                                                                            Dave - One question:

                                                                                                                                            Fed Ex Express?

                                                                                                                                            As in, Federal Express Express?

                                                                                                                                            Thanks.

                                                                                                                                            [–]beachhouse21 14 points15 points ago

                                                                                                                                            Yes. FedEx has three shipping branches (and three logos).

                                                                                                                                            Express (Blue and Orange), Ground (Blue and Green) and Freight (Blue and Red).

                                                                                                                                            They are run as separate companies. You can't change a ground package to express once it's entered the system. But you can change a three day to an overnight, no problem.

                                                                                                                                            They have separate everything, including trucks and sorting centers.

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                                                                                                                                              [–][deleted] 46 points47 points ago

                                                                                                                                              Did you guys ever need to transfer any biohazardous shipments? I don't mean the "in a way all animals could be carry germs..." type of biohazard. I am talking about "if that shit leaks we're all gonna die on this plane" kinda thing.

                                                                                                                                              [–]poopercut 21 points22 points ago

                                                                                                                                              I work in an infectious disease lab, and I can guarantee that all biohazardous bacteria that I ship/receive are through fedex. They have special paperwork that I have to fill out for each shipment that explicitly states whats in my package (which is typically send on dry ice). If I have more than a certain weight, it has to go on a cargo plane.

                                                                                                                                              Interestingly though, Ive had previous bosses come back from conferences with new strains that they smuggled onto carry-on luggage.

                                                                                                                                              [–]DMagnific 12 points13 points ago

                                                                                                                                              That sounds safe.

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                                                                                                                                                  [–]PersonalRobotJesus 164 points165 points ago

                                                                                                                                                  What sort of background leads to such an interesting career?

                                                                                                                                                  [–]DavidLange[S] 272 points273 points ago

                                                                                                                                                  I'm a chemical engineer by background. I started in the oil business - my old strength of material professor told me "You never know what you're gonna end up doing," and here I am.

                                                                                                                                                  The job is all about planning, which is why my engineering background works for this. You have to be aware of regulatory issues, customs, internal processes and procedures, customer requirements, etc. It's a lot of logistics, organizational skills, and planning that need to work together and well at the same time to make a successful charter.

                                                                                                                                                  And coffee.

                                                                                                                                                  [–]inshallah13 68 points69 points ago

                                                                                                                                                  Can you hire me? I'm interested in operations and graduating this summer.

                                                                                                                                                  Unfortunately I don't like coffee, hope that's not a dealbreaker

                                                                                                                                                  [–]DavidLange[S] 126 points127 points ago

                                                                                                                                                  fedex.com/careers :)

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                                                                                                                                                        [–]walaska 122 points123 points ago

                                                                                                                                                        Have you ever had something escape during transport? Die?

                                                                                                                                                        Ever been bitten by one of the things you were transorting?

                                                                                                                                                        Ever had a touching moment at work where you would have / did wave the fee?

                                                                                                                                                        [–]DavidLange[S] 177 points178 points ago

                                                                                                                                                        When we move animals like pandas, they are shipped in specially designed enclosures that are designed to meet international animal regulation and zoo requirements. They are designed for the safety and security of the animal, so nothing has gotten loose yet!

                                                                                                                                                        We donate a lot of humanitarian and aid relief charters, from famine relief to natural disaster response after the Indonesian tsunami and Haitian earthquake. We feel great about those. Some of our animal shipments have also been pro-bono, like the penguins that returned home after Hurricane Katrina.

                                                                                                                                                        [–]detestrian 126 points127 points ago

                                                                                                                                                        What does a panda´s face look like during take-off?

                                                                                                                                                        [–]akatherder 107 points108 points ago*

                                                                                                                                                        O-8B

                                                                                                                                                        [–]lahwran_ 8 points9 points ago

                                                                                                                                                        http://i.imgur.com/53oUo.jpg

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                                                                                                                                                          [–]FlexorCarpiUlnaris 21 points22 points ago

                                                                                                                                                          Yeah, your job is definitely awesome.

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                                                                                                                                                              [–]grant0 84 points85 points ago

                                                                                                                                                              If you're transporting an animal (or other item) that requires extraordinary temperatures (below freezing, for example), does the cabin of the plane have its temperature changed, or do you essentially install a large refrigerator/sauna?

                                                                                                                                                              [–]DavidLange[S] 101 points102 points ago

                                                                                                                                                              Temperature control is often a requirement for our shipments, from animals to pharmaceuticals.

                                                                                                                                                              Our fleet has planes with different capabilities that can be utilized based on the shipment's needs.

                                                                                                                                                              [–]amateurperson 83 points84 points ago

                                                                                                                                                              Do you have a favourite aircraft?

                                                                                                                                                              [–]DavidLange[S] 112 points113 points ago

                                                                                                                                                              My favorite aircraft is the MD-11. It's the workhorse of the charter department at FedEx, and it's a great plane.

                                                                                                                                                              We're starting to use more 777's which is a great airplane, but the MD-11 will always have a special place in my heart.

                                                                                                                                                              [–]hann1bal 24 points25 points ago

                                                                                                                                                              As someone who works for the company doing most of your maintenance, I love the MD-11!

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                                                                                                                                                                [–]Mammeltoe 37 points38 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                How expensive is it to transport an antique car via aircraft?

                                                                                                                                                                Have you ever had any disaster scenarios transporting something?

                                                                                                                                                                [–]DavidLange[S] 117 points118 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                If you're moving one car, call 1-800-Go-FedEx. We can and do move single cars within the "scheduled service" network regularly. If you want to move 25 Formula 1 cars at a time, give me a call.

                                                                                                                                                                [–]VulpesAbnocto 272 points273 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                Hypothetically, if you were moving 25 Formula 1 cars at once, would they have to do time trials to see who gets the pole position on the plane?

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                                                                                                                                                                    [–]Thekazzy5 100 points101 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                    has anything ever died during transport?

                                                                                                                                                                    [–]huitlacoche 89 points90 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                    if it dies, do you still deliver it?

                                                                                                                                                                    [–]ThomFromVeronaBeach 80 points81 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                    Leave it at the front porch, knock at the door and run.

                                                                                                                                                                    [–]SomethingWonderful 130 points131 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                    No, BBQ.

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                                                                                                                                                                        [–]mmmjon 83 points84 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                        Post Pictures

                                                                                                                                                                        [–]scy1192 264 points265 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                        I’ll begin answering questions at 12:00pm EDT

                                                                                                                                                                        .

                                                                                                                                                                        currently 12:18pm EDT

                                                                                                                                                                        Late as usual, FedEx.

                                                                                                                                                                        [–]centech 114 points115 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                        We attempted to deliver your [ ]package [x]answers [ ]letter but unfortunately nobody was home to accept it.

                                                                                                                                                                        [–]Hologram0110 48 points49 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                        It sounds like it must be pretty expensive to transport stuff this way. What are some ball park numbers?

                                                                                                                                                                        Have you ever transported anything and wondered why the hell someone would pay this much to move X?

                                                                                                                                                                        Do people tease you about being THE transporter? If so does your vengeance leave a path of death and destruction?

                                                                                                                                                                        [–]jjalsop 562 points563 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                        I misread this as "erotic and unusual shipments" and was far more interested.

                                                                                                                                                                        [–]carsontl 256 points257 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                        and then you read "dolphins and whales" and was ready to go again

                                                                                                                                                                        [–]dafunkmasta 366 points367 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                        DAT BLOWHOLE

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                                                                                                                                                                          [–]siouxsie_sioux 52 points53 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                          How else is the world's biggest dildo going to go on tour?

                                                                                                                                                                          [–]k80k80k80 185 points186 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                          Kanye West is on tour?

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                                                                                                                                                                              [–]bartholomew5 43 points44 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                              Have you ever thrown it into autopilot and snuck back to cuddle with the red pandas?

                                                                                                                                                                              [–]poiesisHagakure 35 points36 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                              A panda infestation would be the cutest infestation ever.

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                                                                                                                                                                                [–]easy_mak 21 points22 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                A video (with the poster, i presume) to go along with the AMA:

                                                                                                                                                                                http://ask.van.fedex.com/category/fedex-express

                                                                                                                                                                                [–]mr_trendy 35 points36 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                Do you have some pictures to share?

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                                                                                                                                                                                [–]DavidLange[S] 72 points73 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                Penguins are shipped in a specially designed enclosure that allows them access to food and water. We work closely with zoos, who typically provide the enclosures.

                                                                                                                                                                                [–]zorlack 86 points87 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                How does one ship a Penguin?

                                                                                                                                                                                Bubble Wrap.

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                                                                                                                                                                                  [–]ornx 63 points64 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                  Did you feel any pressure while flying the giant pandas?

                                                                                                                                                                                  [–]DavidLange[S] 88 points89 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                  We're honored to be chosen as the trusted carrier for those animals. FedEx has a long track record of safe delivery with precious animals, in fact, this is the fifth pair of pandas we've delivered.

                                                                                                                                                                                  But of course there's always pressure with such public and celebrated creatures like Pandas to make sure everything is planned perfectly to ensure safe delivery.

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                                                                                                                                                                                    [–]habaho 34 points35 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                    Might be a tough/broad question, but what was the most interesting/strangest thing you've ever had to deal with?

                                                                                                                                                                                    Thanks!

                                                                                                                                                                                    [–]DavidLange[S] 58 points59 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                    One of the toughest and most interesting things we face is the last minute nature of the charter business. It's like anything else. The difficulty of a charter depends a lot on how much time we have to plan it. Some people come to us with weeks or months notice, others come with days or hours.

                                                                                                                                                                                    [–]grant0 30 points31 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                    Okay, okay, tell us about transporting a whale in a plane. A thousand bonus points for photos. I know you want to.

                                                                                                                                                                                    [–]nitrousconsumed[M] 340 points341 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                    I swear to the puppy gods above that there better be some gd pictures. ARE THERE PICTURES, DAVIDLANGE???

                                                                                                                                                                                    Edit: Fuck it, I'm using my mod powers to get this seen.

                                                                                                                                                                                    [–]sathion 176 points177 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                    Ok everyone back up we have a mod here.

                                                                                                                                                                                    [–]bitethemuffin 27 points28 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                    http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/198/020/BRTky.jpg

                                                                                                                                                                                    [–]Presii 17 points18 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                    Wait. Is he cutting in line?!

                                                                                                                                                                                    [–]adriftatsea 29 points30 points ago*

                                                                                                                                                                                    Picture of the panda enclosure

                                                                                                                                                                                    another

                                                                                                                                                                                    [–]manualfocus 38 points39 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                    Shit's about to get real.

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                                                                                                                                                                                      [–]FenwayFranks 165 points166 points ago

                                                                                                                                                                                      When you deliver a Panda, is official procedure to just chuck it over the fence if there is nobody at the zoo to sign for it?

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