MEM still no. 1 in the world for cargo

[cdarr]

Whats the airport land south of Shelby Drive for? Can that land be used for airport expansion?

This is an abandoned golf course - used to be called McKellar Park. It is used now for runway approach lighting and the ILS system. Looking at GoogleEarth photos, it looks like the southern half of it is being used as some kind of quarry.

I dunno about the airport expanding all the way down to Lamar (atleast between the Stateline and Winchester). Maybe to Tchulahoma because there are too many warehouses and distribution centers to relocate on and past Getwell.

I was talking about the land about a half-mile due east of the FedEx Hub, along Knight Arnold Rd. This wouldn't go south of Winchester. It's the area outline in red in this photo:

[Bears]

Gotcha. Thanks for clearing that up. The area I thought you were talking about would've been huge. Where is the runway being updated for the A380? Is it the one next to the superhub? Here's a picture of what the Fedex plane would look like

That'll be a sight to see landing!

[TennBear]

It would be cool to see how Memphis ranks in rail traffic as well. 15-25 freight trains pass my house every day, and most of them are carrying 100+ cars.

Memphis ranks 3rd in the US in Rail behind Chicago and St. Louis. It and Chicago have a tie for the most trunk lines of any city.

[sleepy]

Memphis ranks 3rd in the US in Rail behind Chicago and St. Louis. It and Chicago have a tie for the most trunk lines of any city.

I wonder where Memphis ranks in the trucking industry?

[rocky top buzz]

It's great bragging rights that other cities, and our own malcontents (Calipari's "miserables" ), can't interpret in a way to make Memphis look bad. An achievement the other two divisions in the state can't deny.

I don't think we are trying to make memphis look bad; I think Memphis does a great job of that by itself! (Just a little intrastate kidding )

I think it's great that FedEx is based in Tennessee. FedEx could have easily move slightly south or west into Arkansas or Mississippi, but they didn't so the tax base is in Tennessee and that keeps taxes down for all of us. I just don't think it's fair to say BNA isn't doing a good job with it's resources. No, we don't have the cargo like MEM, but BNA continues to expand passenger service and is renovating right now to make it easier to fly through BNA.

Here's something else that MEM should watch out for. I have a colleague in Jackson, and he told me he was coming through Nashville to catch a flight to Florida. I asked him why he wasn't flying out of MEM, and he said the cost was significantly higher at MEM. That's a problem that plauged ATL until the mid 90's and could be a problem for MEM if they don't get a large low cost airline.

[sleepy]

I don't think we are trying to make memphis look bad; I think Memphis does a great job of that by itself! (Just a little intrastate kidding )

I think it's great that FedEx is based in Tennessee. FedEx could have easily move slightly south or west into Arkansas or Mississippi, but they didn't so the tax base is in Tennessee and that keeps taxes down for all of us. I just don't think it's fair to say BNA isn't doing a good job with it's resources. No, we don't have the cargo like MEM, but BNA continues to expand passenger service and is renovating right now to make it easier to fly through BNA.

Here's something else that MEM should watch out for. I have a colleague in Jackson, and he told me he was coming through Nashville to catch a flight to Florida. I asked him why he wasn't flying out of MEM, and he said the cost was significantly higher at MEM. That's a problem that plauged ATL until the mid 90's and could be a problem for MEM if they don't get a large low cost airline.

I don't think anyone was on here trying to make BNA look bad.

There was one sort of juvenile post imho which took MEM bragging a little too far in terms of Nashville.

As far as FedEx easily moving to AR or MS, that's a little off the wall. You don't just pick up a $2 billion dollar hub, a newly built headquarters, a newly built IT center, 30,000 employees and move them----to what airport?

It's no news to Memphians that prices are high at MEM. That's why many Memphians drive to Little Rock to catch Southwest. In fact, I'm surprised that anyone from Jackson would even consider MEM over BNA.

[Clobber]

I don't think we are trying to make memphis look bad; I think Memphis does a great job of that by itself! (Just a little intrastate kidding )

I think it's great that FedEx is based in Tennessee. FedEx could have easily move slightly south or west into Arkansas or Mississippi, but they didn't so the tax base is in Tennessee and that keeps taxes down for all of us. I just don't think it's fair to say BNA isn't doing a good job with it's resources. No, we don't have the cargo like MEM, but BNA continues to expand passenger service and is renovating right now to make it easier to fly through BNA.

Here's something else that MEM should watch out for. I have a colleague in Jackson, and he told me he was coming through Nashville to catch a flight to Florida. I asked him why he wasn't flying out of MEM, and he said the cost was significantly higher at MEM. That's a problem that plauged ATL until the mid 90's and could be a problem for MEM if they don't get a large low cost airline.

Yeah, that's one of the drawbacks of having a hub. It'll be interesting to see what happens if Jetblue sets foot in MEM and/or SWA goes to Tunica. [[edit: it's not a new phenomenon. it has plagued MEM since SW entered LIttle Rock and Nashville. And industry has sprouted around transporting Memphians to Little Rock (Bette Bus)]

And I would like to see more cooperation among the divisions, and see an effort to reduce the skewed perspectives. I think the fact that UT has many alums in W. Tenn helps improve the impressions that E Tenn makes on W. Tennesseans. My understanding is that E Tenn. has a very low view of W. Tenn, much of which is really off-base, which I don't want to get into unless someone else does, I just don't want to rehash, legitimize, and reinforce skewed and unfair perceptions of either side more than they already are. I wish the other divisions saw Memphis more for St. Jude, the zoo, and the diverse entertainment and cultural options than for all the negatives that in the past seem to be prominent in the descriptions of Memphis when you speak to people in the other divisions. I believe there have been ventures into greater inter-divisional cooperation (biotech involves St. Jude, U of M, and Oak Ridge, among others; and the Memphis Angels invested in IPIX). I don't know what the motive is to preserve skewed and unbalanced perspectives in all the regions, but something should be done to promote each region in the other divisions. It hampers the state as a whole when those things persist.

[Bears]

Here's something else that MEM should watch out for. I have a colleague in Jackson, and he told me he was coming through Nashville to catch a flight to Florida. I asked him why he wasn't flying out of MEM, and he said the cost was significantly higher at MEM. That's a problem that plauged ATL until the mid 90's and could be a problem for MEM if they don't get a large low cost airline.

Even Memphians have been flying out of BNA for a while now. I saw many Shelby and even a Desoto and Tate County tag when I flew out of Nashville. Alot of Memphians also fly out of Little Rock too. But the price of gas may make those discounts disappear. Isn't Northwest supposed to have a low cost carrier? I've noticed their prices have come down somewhat.

I think Tunica will be the big next thing for low cost carriers in Memphis metro. They already have one to Atlanta and that doubles the other low cost carrier Airtran who also flys there. Pan Am also said they are looking to expand service out of Tunica, probably because of the crowding issues at Hartsfield. Where would you all like to see a PanAm flight too? I'm thinking Boston would be a great destination.

[cdarr]

Where is the runway being updated for the A380? Is it the one next to the superhub?

Actually, the runways are fine. Runway 18C/36C, the center or "World" runway, will accommoate the A380 with a full load of fuel and cargo. MEM had to make some taxiway improvements to handle the plane, but I believe those are already completed.

FedEx is building a new A380-capable hangar on Winchester, adjacent to the two hangars that are already there - this is the Base Maintenance Facility that sits at the end of Swinnea Rd. It is right below the bottom left corner of the picture I posted above. The parking positions for A380s will be to the east of the new hangar. 8-10 gates will be available.

[rocky top buzz]

As far as FedEx easily moving to AR or MS, that's a little off the wall. You don't just pick up a $2 billion dollar hub, a newly built headquarters, a newly built IT center, 30,000 employees and move them----to what airport?

I wasn't trying to say that FedEx could easily move right now (I said' could have' implying past tense); I'm saying when they first got going or even in the early stages, they could have moved slightly west or south without disrupting their workforce and possibly sought bigger tax breaks from Arkansas or Mississippi. I'm happy they are in Tennessee.

Something else, I didn't hear anything about FedEx buying all the Airbus planes, but I am curious, how did that play in Memphis with FedEx choosing German Airbusses over American Boeings? I know this isn't WWII, and I know the planes don't have a big fat "MADE IN CHINA" sticker on them, but it seems like a large public purchase like that would be negative. I don't think any of the major airlines (Delta for sure) haven't bought Airbusses for the same patriotic reasons.

[sleepy]

Something else, I didn't hear anything about FedEx buying all the Airbus planes, but I am curious, how did that play in Memphis with FedEx choosing German Airbusses over American Boeings? I know this isn't WWII, and I know the planes don't have a big fat "MADE IN CHINA" sticker on them, but it seems like a large public purchase like that would be negative. I don't think any of the major airlines (Delta for sure) haven't bought Airbusses for the same patriotic reasons.

The only carriers in the US that I know of that don't have Airbuses in their fleet are Southwest, Continental and Delta too as you say, although Wikipedia says that Delta had some for a couple years when they took over some PanAm planes.

USAir, JetBlue, Frontier, and Northwest have predominantly Airbus fleets.

Boeing doesn't offer a plane similar to the the Airbus 380. Boeing instead is building the much-smaller B 787 Dreamliner for intercontinental travel. Northwest has ordered some, so I hope to see one in Memphis sometime, probably on the Amsterdam flight.

[cdarr]

Something else, I didn't hear anything about FedEx buying all the Airbus planes, but I am curious, how did that play in Memphis with FedEx choosing German Airbusses over American Boeings? I know this isn't WWII, and I know the planes don't have a big fat "MADE IN CHINA" sticker on them, but it seems like a large public purchase like that would be negative. I don't think any of the major airlines (Delta for sure) haven't bought Airbusses for the same patriotic reasons.

Good question. As sleepy mentioned, there was no Boeing counterpart to the A380. Boeing has only recently unveiled a 747-8 which comes close, but doesn't have equal payload to A380F.

Although there have been a few recent purchases of new A300s, the majority of FedEx acquisitions are aftermarket. It is difficult to cost justify buying new cargo planes vs. used ones, because they don't fly as many cycles per day as passenger planes (meaning it takes many more years for maintenance costs and fuel consumption savings to make up for the premium paid to get a new plane). When somebody buys used Airbuses instead of used Boeings, it's not as much of an opportunity lost for Boeing. They lose some spare parts revenue, but not much else.

A final thing to consider...FedEx purchases of Airbus aircraft helps it maintain its political standing in the EU. This is important whenever there are regulatory issues. And a significant amount of A380-related work goes to U.S. companies anyway, so protests against FedEx buying "foreign" planes are on shaky ground.

[sleepy]

A pic of the FedEx hub in Memphis:

[northernbizzkit1]

I wasn't trying to say that FedEx could easily move right now (I said' could have' implying past tense); I'm saying when they first got going or even in the early stages, they could have moved slightly west or south without disrupting their workforce and possibly sought bigger tax breaks from Arkansas or Mississippi. I'm happy they are in Tennessee.

Something else, I didn't hear anything about FedEx buying all the Airbus planes, but I am curious, how did that play in Memphis with FedEx choosing German Airbusses over American Boeings? I know this isn't WWII, and I know the planes don't have a big fat "MADE IN CHINA" sticker on them, but it seems like a large public purchase like that would be negative. I don't think any of the major airlines (Delta for sure) haven't bought Airbusses for the same patriotic reasons.

FedEx was initially based or was to be based in Little Rock, but there were disputes, so it moved to Memphis...can you imagine what it would have been like in Little Rock with FedEx???

Fedex.com states:

Company headquarters were moved to Memphis, Tenn., a city selected for its geographical center to the original target market cities for small packages. In addition, the Memphis weather was excellent and rarely caused closures at Memphis International Airport. The airport was also willing to make the necessary improvements for the operation and had additional hangar space readily available.

Also, the Airbus order isn't that big...I think it's 12 planes...granted, with the A380, it's similar to buying 24 767s, but still...it's not like the FedEx fleet is completely going to Airbus. Also, the FedEx fleet is so diverse, it doesn't really matter. I mean, they fly 727s, 767s, A300s, A310s, MD-11s, and even a few Cesnas...so another Airbus order really isn't a big deal.

[northernbizzkit1]

Boeing doesn't offer a plane similar to the the Airbus 380. Boeing instead is building the much-smaller B 787 Dreamliner for intercontinental travel. Northwest has ordered some, so I hope to see one in Memphis sometime, probably on the Amsterdam flight.

The 787 has been cited as the way Memphis will open up for more international flights. Word is that Memphis (if it remains a NW hub by the time the 787 rolls out) would handle more South American operations from NW via the 787. Also, MEM-NRT, MEM-CDG, MEM-LGW, and a second MEM-AMS flight are rumored to open up with the 787.

[cdarr]

Also, the Airbus order isn't that big...I think it's 12 planes...granted, with the A380, it's similar to buying 24 767s, but still...it's not like the FedEx fleet is completely going to Airbus. Also, the FedEx fleet is so diverse, it doesn't really matter. I mean, they fly 727s, 767s, A300s, A310s, MD-11s, and even a few Cesnas...so another Airbus order really isn't a big deal.

You're right...the fleet is quite diverse, so that FedEx does plenty of business with both Airbus and Boeing when it comes to parts and support.

There are 10 firm orders for A380 and 20 options. Also, no 767s in the FedEx fleet...UPS does have some, but then again they have a little of everything (727, 747, 757, 767, MD11, A300, elderly DC8s, and A380s on the way).

[northernbizzkit1]

Also, no 767s in the FedEx fleet...UPS does have some, but then again they have a little of everything (727, 747, 757, 767, MD11, A300, elderly DC8s, and A380s on the way).

Are you positive about this? I swear that I think there is/was at least one.

[cdarr]

Are you positive about this? I swear that I think there is/was at least one.

Positive. Let's just say that if FedEx started flying any 767s, I would know at least a year in advance!

[northernbizzkit1]

Positive. Let's just say that if FedEx started flying any 767s, I would know at least a year in advance!

Ah! Gotcha!

[Fellowmann20]

There was one sort of juvenile post imho which took MEM bragging a little too far in terms of Nashville.

Sorry! That was me. I'll stop doing that.