As the Christmas clock ticks, United Parcel Service's gigantic package sorting facility is operating at full speed, processing four million packages per day.
Packages begin a journey along the 155 miles of conveyor belts at UPS's busy warehouse in Louisville, Kentucky, sorted by workers who can handle more than 400,000 packages per hour, as reported by CBS News.
Amid this holiday rush, packages are loaded onto planes parked just outside the warehouse doors and flown across the country, bringing smiles and joy to the door before Christmas morning.
“In a way, we're essentially Santa's helpers,” said Leslie Phelts, a UPS frontline supervisor, as she sorts packages by zip code.
Saturday marks the Christmas deadline for first-class mail shipping, while December 19 and December 21 are the last chances for customers who opt for three-day service and next-day mail, respectively.
As the Christmas bell ticks, United Parcel Service's massive package sorting facility is in full swing, processing four million packages every day
Amid this holiday rush, packages are loaded onto planes parked just outside the warehouse doors and flown across the country, bringing smiles and joy to the door before Christmas morning
Packages begin a journey along the 155 miles of conveyor belts at UPS's bustling warehouse in Louisville, Kentucky, sorted by workers who can handle more than 400,000 packages per hour
Bill Moore, president of UPS Airlines, said December is the busiest time of year as millions of packages begin their festive journey to spread joy and cheer around the world.
'Time is running out, so we're telling people not to wait. Don't postpone it. Ship early and ship often,” says Moore.
UPS World's massive port facility in Louisville, Kentucky, is the world's largest automated package handling facility.
Covering an area of 5.4 million square meters, the facility processes four million packages per day during peak season and operates 300 flights arriving and departing from the hub every day.
Packages arrive by both truck and plane and begin a journey through 155 miles of conveyor belts.
In less than four hours, they are loaded into giant shipping containers, ready to bring joy to all corners of the country.
Meanwhile, a team of meteorologists will chart courses around potential winter weather to ensure nothing – not even a snowstorm – can stop this festive celebration.
The 5.4 million square foot facility handles 4 million packages per day during peak season and has 300 flights departing from the hub every day
They are then sorted by zip code and loaded into gigantic shipping containers. The entire process takes less than four hours
'Beat the rush. And also make sure I don't have to worry about it, nor does anyone else,” said Kate Stephenson after dropping off her Christmas gift packages at a UPS store in Nashville.
“There is extra pressure, but we do emphasize that team spirit,” Phelts said as he sorted the packages and placed them on the conveyor belt.
“We feel like we're doing a big part or play during the holidays,” she added.
Chad Gerber, a UPS Airlines pilot, said, “There's a name and a story with every one of those packages. And these are all very important to the individual. And that's why they're very important to us.”
Moore said December is particularly busy, but his team is prepared: “We're planning this, we're communicating with our customers and we're ready to deliver.”
With less than 10 days until the big day, which falls on a Monday this year, time is running out for Americans to ship packages without having to pay extra fees for fast delivery.
USPS does not deliver regular mail on Christmas Day, and because Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year, Saturday, December 23 is the last scheduled day for regular delivery.
FedEx and UPS have established cutoff delivery dates for the holiday depending on the shipment type
Some major stores, including Target, Walmart and Macy's, have not announced specific deadlines for shipping gifts, as deadlines vary by state and shipping options.
Customers using USPS First Class Mail must ship their packages by Saturday, while customers who choose UPS Ground must have their packages delivered by Monday.
For three-day shipping, the deadline is December 19, and last-minute senders have until December 21 to take advantage of next-day overnight shipping.
USPS does not deliver regular mail on Christmas Day, and because Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year, Saturday, December 23 is the last scheduled day for regular delivery.
'Beat the rush. And also make sure I don't have to worry about that, and neither does anyone else,” Kate Stephenson said after dropping off her Christmas packages at a UPS store in Nashville.