Latest news with #PrimeAir
CNBC
10 hours ago
- Business
- CNBC
Walmart plans to expand drone deliveries to three more states
Walmart is bringing drone deliveries to three more states. On Thursday, the big-box retailer said it plans to launch the speedier delivery option at 100 stores in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa within the coming year. With the expansion, Walmart's drone deliveries will be available in a total of five states: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. Customers will request a delivery through the app of Wing, the operator who flies the drones through a deal with Walmart. The drone operator will have an up to a six-mile range from stores. Drone deliveries are one of the buzziest examples of Walmart's efforts to compete with rivals like Amazon on convenience along with low price. With more than 4,600 Walmart stores across the U.S., the retailer has used its large footprint to get online orders to customers faster. It has an Express Delivery service that drops purchases at customers' doors in as fast as 30 minutes, along with InHome, a subscription-based service, that puts items directly into people's fridges. The company began same-day prescription deliveries last fall and has expanded the service across the country. "The number one piece of feedback that we get from our customers are, 'When are you expanding?'" said Greg Cathey, senior vice president of Walmart U.S. transformation and innovation, referring to drone delivery. Cathey said shoppers using the drone service typically order urgent items, such as hamburger buns for a cookout, eggs to make brownies or Tylenol or cold medicine needed when sick. Drone deliveries take 30 minutes or less, the company said. So far, some of the most frequently delivered items include eggs, ice cream, pet food and fresh fruit, including bananas, lemons and eggs, Walmart added. Walmart stores have an assortment of over 150,000 items in a location. Over 50% of those can be delivered by drone, Cathey said. Yet the rollout of speedy deliveries across the U.S. has come with stops and starts. Three years ago, Walmart announced a plan to expand drone deliveries so it would be able to reach 4 million households across six states fulfilled from 37 stores in parts of Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah and Virginia. At the time, the company's leaders said the retailer would be able to deliver over 1 million packages by drone in a year by using those sites. The rollout never stuck. Walmart's drone delivery count so far is modest. The company did not share the specific count, but said it has racked up a total of more than 150,000 drone deliveries since 2021. Chief competitor Amazon's expansion of drone deliveries has been slow-going, too. The e-commerce giant set a goal to deliver 500 million packages by drone per year by the end of the decade through its service, Prime Air. So far, it has tested the deliveries in College Station, Texas, and Tolleson, Arizona, but it temporarily suspended service earlier this year after an abnormality with the drone's altitude sensor that required a software fix. Walmart has tested drone deliveries in Northwest Arkansas, near its hometown of Bentonville, and scaled them to reach most of the population in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. Several drone operators, including Zipline, Flytrex, DroneUp and Wing, have powered Walmart's deliveries, but the retailer has not provided the financial terms of the deals or the amount of money it has made from sales delivered by drones. Walmart said it currently has 21 live sites in Arkansas and Texas, which are operated by Wing and Zipline. Its contract with DroneUp ended last year. Kieran Shanahan, chief operating officer of Walmart U.S., said the company wants to offer "flexibility and convenience" with drones, along with speedier deliveries by van. "We see it as part of a broader ecosystem of things," he said. "And who knows what five years, 10 years time will bring as new technologies and capabilities unlock?" If customers order in the Wing app, deliveries are free. Cathey said Walmart is testing the addition of a drone delivery option within its app in the Dallas area. As part of the test, deliveries cost $19.99 or are free for members of Walmart+, the company's subscription service.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Plane supply for global air freight stalls due to a ‘stretched market'
Plane supply for global air freight stalls due to a 'stretched market' CEO of Dublin-based ASL Aviation, Dave Andrew, says freighter conversion costs now 'unsupportable' ASL Aviation operates aircraft for Amazon's Prime Air. Photo: Jason Alden/Bloomberg John Mulligan Today at 03:30 There are virtually no conversions of passenger aircraft to freighters underway, with a lack of global supply constraining activity, according to the chief executive of Dublin-based air services provider ASL Aviation, Dave Andrew.
Gizmodo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Gizmodo
FAA Gives Amazon's Drones the Go-Ahead to Carry Lithium-Ion Batteries
If you live in Arizona or Texas, you may want to invest in some flame-resistant umbrellas. Amazon announced Tuesday that it received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to deliver devices equipped with lithium-ion batteries via its Prime Air drones. That means devices such as iPhones, AirPods, and more can now be delivered by air in about an hour to Prime subscribers in eligible areas. Amazon says shoppers who opt into drone-powered deliveries—currently only active in College Station, Texas, and the West Valley of the Phoenix, Arizona metro area—can now pick from 60,000 products that weigh five pounds or less. The company has also updated its delivery protocols; previously, customers would have to place a QR code on the ground for the drone to make the drop. Now, once the drone confirms it's at the right address, it drops packages from 13 feet above the ground at a designated location without requiring drop-point signage. That height shouldn't be an issue for most lithium-ion equipped devices. The Department of Transportation's guidance for shipping lithium-ion cells calls for packages containing the batteries to be capable of withstanding a 1.2-meter (about a 4-foot) drop test that ensures no damage is done—but that standard doesn't apply to batteries inside a device. There's always a non-zero chance that something goes sideways and a device sustains damage, but generally, anything the Amazon drone is dropping should be fine from that 13-foot drop. Hell, at least one iPhone managed to survive a fall of 16,000 feet, so this is nothing. While Amazon is expanding the types of products it can deliver via drone, it's still struggling to actually make those drops to more people. The company is locked into just a couple of markets despite raising the prospect of drone deliveries way back in 2013 — and making its first drop nearly a decade ago. Amazon finally received FAA approval last year to operate its drones beyond the visual line of sight, which has expanded its delivery range. But it keeps running into regulatory hurdles, both at the federal and local levels, that have slowed its expansion. Meanwhile, Amazon's competitors are starting to gain their own footholds. Walmart has teamed up with drone logistics firms Wing (which is owned by Google) and Zipline to offer delivery-by-air to shoppers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and claims to have the largest drone delivery offering of any U.S. retailer. Meanwhile, DoorDash has also tapped Wing to handle deliveries for it in the southern part of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon Drones Can Now Deliver iPhones, Galaxy Phones, AirPods in 60 Minutes
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing. Amazon's Prime Air has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to deliver electronic items with lithium-ion batteries, such as iPhones, Galaxy Phones, AirPods, and AirTags, as well as Ring doorbells and grill thermometers. These deliveries will be completed in less than 60 minutes in eligible areas of Texas and Arizona. You just have to select drone delivery at checkout and ensure items in your cart weigh 5 pounds or less. 'This is a big milestone toward our goal of delivering 500 million packages by drone globally by the end of the decade,' Amazon says in an X post. Amazon will fulfill these deliveries using its MK30 drones, which are capable of handling light rain and extreme temperatures. Packages will be delivered to a preferred spot at your address, such as your driveway or yard. Earlier, Amazon's drones looked for QR codes placed in the drop-off area. 'Now, the process is automated through the drone's in-flight computer so that orders arrive directly at designated delivery points without the need for a physical QR code,' Amazon says. Also, once selected, you won't have to enter the designated spot again for future deliveries. Amazon will remember it, though you can change it at any time. The latest update also means the drone can provide an estimated delivery time within five minutes of receiving the order. Before delivering the package, the drone will also verify the delivery point and ensure it is free of pets, cars, or people. If a drone can't complete the delivery, Amazon will notify you with a reason. While MK30s are capable of handling light rain, Prime Air won't accept orders in all weather conditions, Amazon warns. The e-commerce giant makes this service available only if its 75-minute forward-looking weather predictor determines 'a drone delivery should be available in the next hour.' While the service seems convenient, not all Texans are happy about it. Last year, residents of a town called College Station urged the FAA to take action against the noise generated by these drones. In January, Amazon also paused US drone deliveries following a crash involving two drones in Arizona.
The Verge
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Verge
iPhones are on the menu for Amazon drone delivery
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has given Amazon's Prime Air drones the go-ahead to deliver new categories of devices, including products with lithium ion batteries like iPhones, AirPods, and more, Amazon has announced. The company says those product categories can be shipped to your door within 60 minutes — if you're in one of the eligible delivery areas in Arizona or Texas, that is. Amazon writes that it recently streamlined its drone deliveries. The new process includes Amazon giving you a delivery time with a five-minute window on either side, and customers no longer having to go outside and put a QR code on the ground. The first time you order one of these drone drops, you'll pick from one of the predetermined-to-be-eligible delivery zones on an aerial picture of your house. Amazon will use the same spot from then on, assuming it's clear, until you change it. The drones drop packages from about 13 feet in the air, so it's a good idea to keep your pets or kids inside during the delivery window. At the moment, drone deliveries are only available in College Station, Texas, and in the West Valley part of the Phoenix, Arizona metro area, and only when the weather is favorable. The deliveries come via Amazon's new MK30 drones, a key part of the drone delivery program the company has been working to get off the ground for over a decade. MK30s are limited to 5-pound packages, but they can fly farther than the drones it used previously, and can even handle light rain. Last year, Amazon managed to get FAA approval to fly its drones beyond the visual line of sight of its operators, greatly expanding where it can actually make its deliveries.
