Driven by the growth in e-commerce, UPS (NYSE: UPS) expects to pick up more than 34 million packages today, Monday, Dec. 16, and expects to deliver 29 million packages globally on Tuesday, Dec. 17, a record for a single day at the world's largest package delivery company. During UPS's 107th holiday season, Dec. 16 - 20 is known as "Peak Week" due to the surge in volume.

"The entire team at UPS has planned all year to handle the annual increased shipping volume during the holidays," said Alan Gershenhorn, chief sales, marketing and strategy officer. "As consumers change the way they shop for holiday gifts and shipping needs shift, customers rely even more on UPS for trusted and convenient solutions around the globe."

Peak Week Preparations

UPS prepares for its Peak Week with a large-scale, precise operation involving its worldwide global fleet of vehicles and cargo planes.

To help put Peak Week into perspective:

• Nearly 100,000 package cars, vans, tractors, motorcycles and alternative fuel vehicles will be deployed to meet customer needs.
• Meanwhile, more than 2,388 UPS cargo flights will take off daily around the world during UPS's seasonal peak week, 465 more flights than a typical day in November. 
• UPS will need 55,000 seasonal employees for the holidays, more than would fit into Yankee Stadium.
• On Dec. 17, UPS anticipates delivering 300 packages per second; a hummingbird's wings flap an average 50 times a second.

Last Day to Ship

UPS's extensive network is designed to provide for timely and safe delivery of customers' holiday gifts. Customers can ship as late as Monday, Dec. 23, using UPS air services. For timely packages, options include:  

• UPS 3 Day Select - ship by Thursday, Dec. 19 for delivery on Tuesday, Dec. 24
• UPS 2nd Day Air - ship by Friday, Dec. 20 for delivery on Tuesday, Dec. 24 (or you can ship on Saturday at a retail location such as the UPS Store)
• UPS Next Day Air - ship by Monday, Dec. 23 for delivery on Tuesday, Dec. 24