UPS delivers the holiday rush

28 Million Packages for Delivery on Busiest Day;

2 Million Returns Packages to Follow

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Dec. 18, 2012 /CNW/ - Today UPS (NYSE: UPS) kicks off its seasonal peak week of the year with plans to deliver more than 135 million packages around the world, culminating with 28 million deliveries on Thursday, Dec. 20, the busiest day of the holiday season. Last minute shoppers can ship as late as Friday, Dec. 21, using UPS Express services to have gifts arrive by Christmas Eve.

To meet the demand, coordinated UPS transportation and technology networks will flex their muscles. The UPS Airlines will add more than 400 additional flights per day this week, and some three million express shipments will be processed within 24 hours through the UPS Worldport international air hub in Louisville, Ky.

With so many packages en route, UPS expects more than 69 million online tracking requests on Tuesday, Dec. 18.

For more holiday stats, see UPS's peak week infographic.

Hassle-Free Returns

After the holidays UPS doesn't slow down. As more consumers shop online, they will return or exchange those unwanted holiday gifts. UPS expects to transport more than 2 million packages back to retailers during the first week in January 2013.

This year more retailers are focusing on reverse logistics and offering free returns. Convenient UPS returns options allow consumer to drop off packages at their local The UPS Store or hand it to their UPS driver.  UPS encourages retailers to include a return label in the package, or have the labels available on the Internet for consumers to print themselves.

National Returns Day - the busiest day for returns at UPS - is Jan. 3, 2013 when UPS anticipates more than 520,000 packages shipped back to retailers in a single day.

"We've seen a 15 percent increase in retail returns over last year," said David Sisco , UPS retail marketing director. "UPS research shows that 63 percent of online shoppers review a retailer's returns policy before making a purchase."

For more information about the holiday shipping calendar and to learn more about the holiday surge, visit these online resources:

• The UPS holiday season media resource site - pressroom.ups.com/holiday
• The UPS blog - blog.ups.com/holiday
• Holiday Video - http://upsprmedia.com/Media/UPS_B-Roll_2012.zip
• UPS Returns -http://pressroom.ups.com/pressroom/staticfiles/pdf/fact_sheets/NRD_infographic.pdf

UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including transporting packages and freight; facilitating international trade, and deploying advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business.  Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.

SOURCE UPS Canada Ltd.