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  January 10th, 2016 | Written by

FedEx Fell Behind on Christmas Deliveries: Report

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  • FedEx drivers worked extra shifts on Christmas Day to get packages to customers on time.
  • FedEx delivered 12.4 percent more holiday packages in 2015 over 2014; for UPS the increase was 10 percent.
  • FedEx delivered 97 percent of guaranteed express packages during the holiday season on time.
  • Online holiday shopping increased 11.8 percent in 2015 over 2014, with 1.5 billion packages delivered.

With powerful storms pounding parts of the southern U.S. on Christmas Eve and claiming 14 lives in three states, FedEx struggled to make Christmas deliveries on time, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

Some retailers were concerned about delays in the FedEx network regardless of the weather, according to the WSJ article. FedEx reported that drivers worked extra shifts on Christmas Day to get packages to customers on time and were operating with slight delays.

Before the peak holiday shipping season arrived, FedEx projected it would deliver a record 317 million packages globally between Black Friday and Christmas Eve, an increase of 12.4 percent over 2014. UPS delivered 630 million packages during the peak season, an increase of 10 percent over 2014.

UPS said it finished up deliveries on the evening of Christmas Eve. The UPS hub in Louisville, Kentucky, wasn’t affected by adverse weather as was the FedEx hub in Memphis.

According to the Wall Street Journal, FedEx ended up delivering around 97 percent of guaranteed express packages during the holiday season on time. The carrier typically operates at 99 percent on time for its express business.

Online shopping played a greater role this past holiday shopping season increasing 11.8 percent over 2014. Around 1.5 billion packages were delivered during the holidays by FedEx, UPS, and the U.S. Postal Service.