First Air Cargo Flight

The 1910 silk flight is generally counted as the first commercial air freight shipment, and it set the pattern for air cargo: high-value, time-sensitive goods paying a premium for speed. Parmelee covered about 65 miles in roughly an hour, a speed record at the time, and the silk then went by car from the landing field to the store, so the shipment combined air and ground legs. Accounts differ on how much silk was carried. Air freight still carries a small share of world trade by weight but a large share by value, which is why brands use it for launches, stockout recovery, and high-margin products.

• StockoutZero sellable stock for a SKU
• Lead TimeTime from purchase order to sellable stock
• Intermodal FreightFreight moved by rail and truck in one box

• Founding of UPS1907 · A Seattle messenger company starts with $100
• U.S. Air Mail Service1918 · The first scheduled airmail route opens in the US
• The Hump Airlift1942–1945 · Allied planes fly supplies over the Himalayas to China

• Air Mail Act of 1925 (Kelly Act)1925 · Let the Post Office contract airmail to private airlines
• Warsaw Convention1929, in force 1933 · First treaty on airline liability for cargo

1. First Commercial Airplane Flight airandspace.si.edu
2. Air cargo en.wikipedia.org
3. Philip Orin Parmelee en.wikipedia.org