December 14, 2021

VICE PRESIDENTS, AREA RETAIL AND DELIVERY OPERATIONS
VICE PRESIDENTS, REGIONAL PROCESSING OPERATIONS

SUBJECT:  Operations Policy for the Christmas Holiday, Saturday, December 25, 2021 
                    and the New Year’s Day Holiday, Saturday, January 1, 2022.

This memorandum provides general operating policy and holiday planning guidance for the upcoming 2021 Christmas holiday and 2022 New Year’s Day holiday.

Service levels for these holidays are displayed in Sections 125.22 and 313.24 of the Postal Operations Manual (POM).  This memorandum also contains guidance for notifying the public of changes in service on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Delivery Operations

All functions should take action prior to the holidays and the holiday “eves” to ensure that operations are in a current status.

All offices should carefully review their staffing plans and adjust as necessary to meet the needs of their communities.  Delivery managers and supervisors should plan appropriately for additional mail volume and packages for delivery. Offices should be staffed appropriately to have carriers leave and return on time. District support staff should review past performance and work with their Network and Logistics partners to ensure transportation is aligned to meet the expectations of additional volume that is both picked up by the carrier and presented across the window.

Continuing through the end of PEAK, we are conducting a 6:00 am to 9:00 am Morning Package Play and a 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Evening Package Play. These will assist delivery offices in maintaining on-time service and eliminate potential delayed and curtailed mail volumes. These plays are designed to adjust for volume and staffing when volume projections exceed daily capacity.

Rural Operations
•	HARC (Holiday Assistance Rural Carrier) can run parcels up to seven days a week from November 6, 2021 
•	ARCs may be scheduled, on a volunteer basis, on non-holiday weekdays, to provide auxiliary assistance in the form of package delivery only
•	Regular Carriers will be able to work on a voluntary basis on Sundays as well as help on other routes (no help on day off),  from October 9, 2021 through December 31, 2021, based on the signed agreement between Labor and the NRLCA (National Rural Letter Carriers Association)

Thursday, December 23 and Thursday, December 30:
In addition to regular delivery and collections, all delivery offices should:
•	Take appropriate action to ensure units remain in a current status; the goal is to have zero delayed or curtailed mail volumes going into the holidays
•	Conduct the necessary Morning Package Plays to eliminate potential delays and minimize late returns
•	Conduct, if needed, Evening Package Plays to become current

Collection Operations:  Normal service levels will be provided in collections.  
Friday, December 24 and Friday, December 31:  Normal (Friday) service levels will be provided in delivery operations.  Modified or reduced collection operations may occur as directed by Headquarters.  
All delivery units should take appropriate action to eliminate delayed or curtailed mail volumes. 
•	All offices should conduct AM package runs and deliver a minimum of 15% of all parcels between 6 am and 9 am
•	Any office not current should conduct PM package runs between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm

There will be no Night Owl drops, on Friday, December 24 or Friday, December 31, for Saturday delivery.

Collection Operations:
•	Modified or reduced service levels will be provided for collections on both Fridays, 
December 24, 2021 & December 31, 2021
o	Modified Collection Operations: All collection points with a scheduled last collection after 12:00 noon may be advanced to as early as 12:00 Noon. This includes Retail locations and Post Offices. All collections points with a scheduled last collection before 12 noon, will be collected at their normal times.

Christmas Holiday, “Widely Observed”, Saturday, December 25, 2021 and
New Year’s Day Holiday, “Widely Observed,” Saturday, January 1, 2022:

There will be no collections or regular delivery (except for Holiday Premium Priority Mail Express). 

•	There will be no Night Owl, or any major mailer drops on December 25
•	On January 1, there will be no Amazon Early Bird Drops
•	Amazon Night Owls will resume Saturday night (Jan 1) into Sunday morning for Sunday delivery

Sunday, December 26, 2021 and Sunday, January 2, 2022: we will
Package delivery at VP and DM discretion-we should continue to serve our customers with package delivery if we are in a delayed status.

On Sunday 12/26 there will be no DDU drop shipments
•	Night Owls will resume Sunday night (Dec 26) into Monday morning
•	Return to normal ‘Sunday’ service levels on Sunday 1/2/22
•	On Sunday 1/2/22, 100% DDU entry for Amazon
o	Sunday promise sites will be required to deliver
o	Sunday non-promise sites are required to accept and secure the freight at the DDU, delivery is not compulsory unless required by district leadership.

Monday, December 27, 2021 and Monday, January 3, 2022:
Return to normal service levels. 
•	The 6 am to 9am Package Plays should be conducted all week to eliminate delays and minimize late returns
•	Conduct, if needed, Evening Package Plays to become current
•	Collections must start and run on time to meet the DOV to the mail processing facilities
•	Delivery managers and supervisors should plan for additional mail volume and packages after the holidays

Retail and Post Office Operations

Management should review staffing plans and adjust as necessary to meet the needs of their communities using recent and SPLY retail sales trend information and mail volumes.

Management should ensure SSKs are fully stocked and mailing supplies (Priority Mail/Priority Mail Express boxes, envelopes, labels etc.) are available for customers. 

Select offices were identified to extend Retail hours and/or provide Extended Package Pick-up Services during Peak Season based on WIR, customer transactions, street FFA’s, prior year Peak Sunday Hours and Sunday Hub information. (See attached listing of sites) Offices should display any “door cling/Peak Hours” signage prior to the holiday. Advise customers of any Contract Postal Units (CPUs) or Approved Shipper locations where retail services will be available on the holiday and provide them with the hours of operation.

Friday, December 24, 2021 – Christmas Eve Day
All retail locations will be open on Christmas Eve Day, December 24, 2021. 
•	Early Closures:
•	Offices will have the option of reducing retail hours and closing no earlier than 12 Noon based on local demand. However, offices must have received prior approval from their District Integrated Operations Manager and/or the District Retail & Delivery Project Manage. All change in hours must have been entered into FDB NLT 12/9/21. 
•	PEAK Hours Signage must be posted in the lobby entrance, PO Box section and/or areas accessed by the public to alert customers. 
•	HQ Retail & Post Office Operations will validate early closures in FDB
•	Parcel Pickup:
•	Offices should continue to parcel pick-up to customers where 24-hour PO Box/Parcel Locker access is not available
•	Dutch Door / Blue Door should be utilized for pickup items
•	Passport Acceptance Facilities:
•	Offices will be allowed to request “Blocks” via MyPO for appointment times that would be impacted by early closures
•	Collections – Lobby Drops and Blue Box in Front of Post Office:
o	Modified Collection Operations: All collection points with a scheduled last collection after 12:00 noon may be advanced to as early as 12:00 Noon. This includes Retail locations and Post Offices. All collections points with a scheduled last collection before 12 noon, will be collected at their normal times.
•	Employee Leave:
o	Administrative Leave will not be approved
o	Employees wanting to leave early on Christmas Eve Day must request a Change of Schedule or use Annual Leave
o	If a clerk does not take Annual Leave or do a Change of Schedule, they will be assigned to F4 Distribution, etc.

•	Remote Forwarding System (RFS): 
o	 Ensure undeliverable parcels are processed timely to avoid backlogs 
•	Parcel Return Service (PRS):  
o	Dispatch PRS as scheduled.  If needed, escalate non-picked up package issues to your Business Service Network (BSN) Representative. For Return Delivery Units (RDU), follow the 48-hour rule before dispatching to the plant
•	Technology:  
o	Confirm all scanning equipment is operable and transmitting without incident including: ADUS, SDUS, DSS, IMDAS, MDD, MDD-IO, PASS. Extra batteries should be kept on hand as needed. For ADUS and SDUS equipment, ensure sort plans are current and all updates are completed 
•	Notice Left Shelf: 
o	Verify items receive notification or are returned according to the schedule.  For Post Office box packages, if it fits, place in the PO box or parcel locker
•	MyPO Notifications:  
o	Check MyPO notifications, including hold mail and redelivery
•	‘First In First Out’ (FIFO):  
o	Use placards, signs and lines for maintaining FIFO to manage volume and assist with applying the correct Delivery Day Indicator (DDI) 
•	Delivery Day Indicator (DDI):  
o	Ensure delivery units apply the correct DDI BEFORE scanning packages (see below)
•	PM Parcel Distribution:  
o	Review volumes, schedules, and identify and work all available parcels in the PM to ensure unit is clean before the holiday
•	Sorting and Staging Area:  
o	Make certain all processing equipment is neat, in place, and ready for the following day.  Check housekeeping:  floors clear of debris, trash bins emptied, extra empty equipment staged ready for pickup

Saturday, December 25: Christmas - “Widely Observed” Holiday
Christmas Day is a “Widely Observed” holiday, which means many businesses are closed.  No retail service will be available, except for those facilities normally open on this holiday.  Post Offices should provide Post Office Box access for customers to the maximum extent possible
•	Collections:  
o	There will be no regular delivery or collections on this holiday. Post Office Operations personnel on duty should check and clear collection points in front of and within the post office (e.g., collection boxes, inside lobby drops and self-service kiosks) and dispatch all outgoing mail on first available truck
•	Review District and local Air Transportation Network holiday “lift” schedules:
o	There is no indication there will be lift for the holiday; however, if networks are operating, contact major mailers to ensure volume is collected and inducted into the system in a timely manner  
Major Mailers
o	No major mailer drops
o	No Amazon Night Owls 

Sunday, December 26: 
Return to normal ‘Sunday’ service levels.  Retail services should only be available in those offices that are normally open on Sundays. Remove any “PEAK Season Hours” signage
•	Function 4 Staffing:  
o	Plan for additional mail volume and packages for post-holiday delivery where applicable 
o	Review VAP Gap tool, post-holiday volume trend data, CSAW projections, mail arrival times and utilize F4 IVES Scheduler to plan for staffing that coincides with the projected workload and performance expectations 
o	No Major Mailer drops
o	Amazon Night Owls will resume Sunday night (Dec 26) into Monday morning for Monday delivery

Date Pieces are Scanned	Day Packages will be Delivered	DDI Selection	
Friday, December 24, 2021	Fri – December 24	Today	
	Sat – December 25	Holiday	
	Sun – December 26	Sunday	
	Mon-December 27	Next Day *	
Saturday, December 25, 2021	Sat – December 25	Holiday	
	Sun – December 26	Sunday	
	Mon-December 27	Next Day *	
Sunday, December 26, 2021	Sun – December 26	Sunday	
	Mon-December 27	Next Day *	
* Used for processing packages on the current day, BUT have a Delivery Date for the Next Day

Monday, December 27: 
Return to normal service levels.  Management should use recent sales trend information and adjust for local circumstances. Package pickup services should be provided at Dutch Doors. Anticipate soft openings to reduce customer wait times.
•	Collections – Lobby Drops and Blue Box in Front of Post Office:
o	Normal service levels will be provided for collections
o	All collection boxes should be picked up as scheduled
•	Function 4 Staffing:  
o	Plan for additional mail volume and packages for post-holiday delivery 
o	Review VAP Gap tool, post-holiday volume trend data, CSAW projections, mail arrival times and utilize F4 IVES Scheduler to plan for staffing that coincides with the projected workload and performance expectations

Friday, December 31, 2021 
Normal retail service levels.  Management should use recent sales trend information and adjust for local circumstances. 
•	Collections – Lobby Drops and Blue Box in Front of Post Office:
o	Modified Collection Operations: All collection points with a scheduled last collection after 12:00 noon may be advanced to as early as 12:00 Noon. This includes Retail locations and Post Offices. All collections points with a scheduled last collection before 12 noon, will be collected at their normal times.

•	Remote Forwarding System (RFS): 
o	 Ensure undeliverable parcels are processed timely to avoid backlogs 
•	Major Mailers:
o	No Amazon Night Owl drops
•	Parcel Return Service (PRS):  
o	Dispatch PRS as scheduled.  If needed, escalate non-picked up package issues to your Business Service Network (BSN) Representative. For Return Delivery Units (RDU), follow the 48-hour rule before dispatching to the plant
•	Technology:  
o	Confirm all scanning equipment is operable and transmitting without incident including: ADUS, SDUS, DSS, IMDAS, MDD, MDD-IO, PASS. Extra batteries should be kept on hand as needed. For ADUS and SDUS equipment, ensure sort plans are current and all updates are completed 
•	Notice Left Shelf: 
o	Verify items receive notification or are returned according to the schedule.  For Post Office box packages, if it fits, place in the PO box or parcel locker
•	MyPO Notifications:  
o	Check MyPO notifications, including hold mail and redelivery
•	‘First In First Out’ (FIFO):  
o	Use placards, signs and lines for maintaining FIFO to manage volume and assist with applying the correct Delivery Day Indicator (DDI) 
•	Delivery Day Indicator (DDI):  
o	Ensure delivery units apply the correct DDI BEFORE scanning packages (see below)
•	PM Parcel Distribution:  
o	Review volumes, schedules, and identify and work all available parcels in the PM to ensure unit is clean before the holiday
•	Sorting and Staging Area:  
o	Make certain all processing equipment is neat, in place, and ready for the following day.  Check housekeeping:  floors clear of debris, trash bins emptied, extra empty equipment staged ready for pickup

Date Pieces are Scanned	Day Packages will be Delivered	DDI Selection	
Friday, December 31, 2021	Fri – December 31	Today	
	Sat – January 1	Holiday	
	Sun – January 2	Sunday	
	Mon-January 3	Next Day *	
Saturday, January 1, 2022	Sat – January 1	Holiday	
	Sun – January 2	Sunday	
	Mon-January 3	Next Day *	
Sunday, January 2, 2022	Sun – January 2	Sunday	
	Mon - January 3	Next Day *	
Used for processing packages on the current day, BUT have a Delivery Date for the Next Day

January 1: New Year’s Day - “Widely Observed” Holiday 
New Year’s Day is a “Widely Observed” holiday, which means many businesses are closed. No retail service will be available, except for those facilities normally open on this holiday.  Post Offices should provide Post Office Box access for customers to the maximum extent possible
•	Collections:  
o	There will be no regular delivery or collections on this holiday. Post Office Operations personnel on duty should check and clear collection points in front of and within the post office (e.g., collection boxes, inside lobby drops and 
self-service kiosks) and dispatch all outgoing mail on first available truck
•	Review District and local Air Transportation Network holiday “lift” schedules. 
o	There is no indication there will be lift for the holiday; however, if networks are operating, contact major mailers to ensure volume is collected and inducted into the system in a timely manner  
•	Major Mailers: 
o	No Amazon Early Bird drops
o	Amazon Night Owls will resume Saturday night (Jan 1) into Sunday morning for Sunday delivery

Sunday, January 2: 
Return to normal ‘Sunday’ service levels.  Retail services should only be available in offices that normally open on Sundays. 
•	Function 4 Staffing:  
o	Plan for additional mail volume and packages for post-holiday delivery where applicable 
o	Review VAP Gap tool, post-holiday volume trend data, CSAW projections, mail arrival times and utilize F4 IVES Scheduler to plan for staffing that coincides with the projected workload and performance expectations
Major Mailers:
o	100% DDU entry for Amazon
•	Sunday promise sites will be required to deliver
•	Sunday non-promise sites are required to accept and secure the freight at the DDU, delivery is not required unless deemed by district leadership.

Monday, January 3: 
Return to normal retail service levels.  Management should use recent sales trend information and adjust for local circumstances. Package pickup services should be provided at Dutch Doors. Anticipate soft openings to reduce customer wait times.
•	Collections – Lobby Drops and Blue Box in Front of Post Office:
o	Normal service levels will be provided for collections
o	All collection boxes should be picked up as scheduled
•	Function 4 Staffing:  
o	Plan for additional mail volume and packages for post-holiday delivery 
o	Review VAP Gap tool, post-holiday volume trend data, CSAW projections, mail arrival times and utilize F4 IVES Scheduler to plan for staffing that coincides with the projected workload and performance expectations

Processing Operations

This holiday presents an opportunity to consolidate and compress plant operations to generate savings while maintaining service performance levels.  In order to take advantage of the savings opportunity, please adhere to the following guidelines:
•	Opening Units kept at day zero for Letters and Flats. 
•	Advance all available Pink and Blue Marketing Mail for Friday delivery.
•	Review IVES scheduling to match operating plans.
•	Focus on RPG Compliance and P2P (Start Time & Throughput)
•	Inhibit Delivery Point Sequence (DPS) sort program regeneration prior to the holiday and re-establish afterwards. 
•	Utilize an RPG model for DPS processing on Saturday and Sunday that ensures an early DPS dispatch for Monday delivery.
•	Ensure only one DPS run on Monday morning (no double runs of DPS).  
•	Evaluate the processing of Outgoing Priority on the holiday to avoid late clearance on Monday.
•	Decisions for Monday early collection plans will be determined locally by Region/Division. (See below instructions relative to processing and dispatching Commercial Mailings).
•	Assign SWYB to avoid VAP issues to THS.
PROCESSING NOCC
•	Increased nightly oversight of plant performance to plan/capacity
•	24-hour coverage, including on the holiday, to provide assistance and escalation
•	Increased monitoring of MMP performance to plan on Sunday
•	Increased monitoring of DPS performance to plan on Sunday
Plant managers must commit that Parcel Return Service (PRS-569xx) operations will be staffed and all returns sorted and available to PRS partners as agreed.
Processing and Dispatch of Commercial Mailings
Specific planning activities should include:

•	Coordination with Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) Managers
•	Pharmaceutical volumes keep FIFO, process daily and utilize pitch-catch & placarding 
•	Coordination with Detached Mail Units
•	Coordination with Business Service Network Managers
•	Adjusting Operating Plans and RPGs to include the anticipated Commercial Mail volumes
•	Ensuring that all processed mail is dispatched on scheduled transportation on Friday and Monday morning

Plant managers must commit that Parcel Return Service (PRS-569xx) operations will be staffed and all returns sorted and available to PRS partners as agreed.

Plant managers are to ensure proper Priority Mail Open & Distribute (PMOD) process, especially ensuring all destinating volume receives it’s stopped the clock received at Opening Unit (RAOU) scan upon arrival.

Plant managers must ensure that Integrated Operating Plans (IOPs) between the BMEUs and Operations are updated to ensure timely induction, processing and dispatch of mail presented to the BMEU prior to the holiday.  BMEU managers must ensure that all staff at both the BMEUs and the Detached Mail Units are familiar with and execute their operations in accordance with the IOP.  Local collection and cancellation plans must be coordinated with associate offices and must support achievement of 24-hour clock indicators.  Managers and supervisors must plan for anticipated increased volumes after the holiday.  It is vital to ensure all mail is finalized, prepared for assignment, and dispatched on the appropriate transportation network.  

Plants must make plans to assure that destinating two and three-day volumes are processed to meet service goals before and after the holiday.  All missorted, missent, return-to-sender and Postal Automated Redirection System (PARS) and Flat PARS volumes must be identified, finalized, prepared for assignment, and dispatched on the appropriate transportation network on Wednesday.  The 24-hour clock indicators for the Managed Mail Program on hand will be useful in monitoring the success of this plan. 

Reductions in FAST holiday constraints or facility closures will not be approved; every site must maintain appointment availability.  
Plants need to ensure timely acceptance of drop shipments.  Please ensure that the local FAST facility profile contact information is current.  

The FAST Help Desk will be authorized to contact local Plant Managers directly to resolve urgent acceptance issues.

Network Distribution Centers (NDCs) also have an opportunity to consolidate and compress operations to generate savings while maintaining service performance levels.  NDCs must utilize the RPG tool to staff operations.  NDCs must schedule drop shipment acceptance hours to ensure timely induction, processing, and dispatch of mail.

If there is a need to deviate from this guidance, please work through the appropriate office for an exception.

Maintenance Operations

The Maintenance Technical Support Center (MTSC) will assist mail processing sites with planned power outages in accordance with the following knowledge base (KB) article.

Facility Planned Power Outages
MTSC KB0012715

Refer to the Mail Processing Emergency Response Checklists for critical actions and tasks.

Additional Information

•	For all power outages, create a ticket on the MTSC Web Ticket Portal for the affected site and provide all relevant information about the outage.
•	For planned power outages, sites must submit a Change Request (CR) form to FAP_Power_Outage_Notification@usps.gov.  The CR form is available in the MTSC KB.

Upon receipt of the MTSC web ticket, the MTSC Network Operations Application Support (NOAS) team will contact Engineering to:

•	Schedule graceful shutdowns of IDS, NDSS, and NGTC for planned outages.
•	Validate functionality after power is restored for all outages.

If a system has issues going online after power is restored, then create a new ticket for the affected system and request NST assistance.

Non-Emergency Project Requests

MTSC will provide phone support 24 hours a day through the holiday but will curtail all 
non-emergency support activities to ensure sufficient Helpdesk coverage during the holiday scheduling period.  Normal projects and supplemental support activities will resume in the week

International Service Center Operations

This widely observed holiday presents an opportunity to consolidate and compress plant operations to generate savings as long as conditions are current.  If delays exist within the ISC, this is an opportunity to ensure staffing is scheduled to clear all delayed volumes and maintain service performance levels.  Please adhere to the following guidelines:

•	Use the Run Plan Generator (RPG) to staff operations
•	Clear any delayed volumes and advance mail where possible
•	Coordinate with Customs & Border Protection (CBP) to provide sufficient staffing to avoid backlogs
•	Ensure Customs belts are staffed sufficiently to maximize efficiency
•	Work with Area and District to ensure adequate offload plans for inbound ePacket volumes

Logistics Operations

Air Transportation Network

FedEx

FedEx will not operate on the Christmas holiday (observed), Saturday, December 25 or the New Year’s Day holiday (observed), Saturday, January 1.  Normal operations will resume with the FedEx day-turn on the Sunday after the holidays, December 26 and January 2.

THS Build and Break Operations will be coordinated through ATO.

UPS

UPS will not operate on Friday, December 24 or Friday, December 31, (reference Logistics Ordering Agreement).  Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, December 28 and Tuesday, January 4.

Supplemental Networks

There will be no Amazon (A1) operations on Friday, December 24, and no Aloha (KH), Amazon (A1), AmeriJet (M6), Kalitta (K4), or Northern Air Cargo (NC) operations on Saturday, December 25, 2021. Normal operations will resume on Sunday, December 26, 2021. The Kalitta (K4) LAX-SWF-LAX will not operate Sunday, December 26, 2021 however it will operate on Monday, December 27, 2021.  There will be no Aloha (KH), Amazon (A1), AmeriJet (M6), Kalitta (K4), or Northern Air Cargo (NC) operations on Saturday, January 1, 2022.  Normal operations will resume on Sunday, January 2, 2022 except for Kalitta (K4) which will resume on Tuesday, January 4, 2022. 

CAIR

Commercial air will operate a normal schedule throughout the holiday period.  

International Transportation Plan

Import/Export Plan for the ISC
Holiday	Day of 
Week	Date	JFK 
Export	JFK 
Import	ORD
Export	ORD
Import	MIA
Export	MIA
Import	
Day before	Friday	12/24/2021	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	
Christmas	Saturday	12/25/2021	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	
Day after	Sunday	12/26/2021	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	
Holiday	Day of 
Week	Date	LAX
Export	LAX 
Import	SFO
Export	SFO
Import	
Day before	Friday	12/24/2021	YES	YES	YES	YES	
Christmas	Saturday	12/25/2021	YES	YES	YES	YES	
Day after	Sunday	12/26/2021	YES	YES	YES	YES	
Customs CBP opening plan and hours at the ISC
Holiday	Day of
Week	Date	JFK 
CBP open	JFK 
CBP hours	ORD
CBP open	ORD
CBP hours	MIA
CBP open	MIA
CBP hours	
Day before	Friday	12/24/2021	YES	24/7	YES	24/7	YES	06:00 - 14:00	
Christmas	Saturday	12/25/2021	YES	24/7	YES	24/7	NO	CLOSED	
Day after	Sunday	12/26/2021	YES	24/7	YES	24/7	YES	06:00 - 20:00	

Holiday	Day of
Week	Date	LAX
CBP open	LAX 
CBP hours	SFO
CBP open	SFO
CBP Hours	
Day before	Friday	12/24/2021	YES	07:00 – 15:30	YES	07:30 - 15:00	
Christmas	Saturday	12/25/2021	NO	CLOSED	YES	07:30 - 15:00	
Day after	Sunday	12/26/2021	NO	Normal Closure	YES	05:00 - 15:00; 15:00 - 19:00 Portal Only	

Surface Transportation Network

Surface Transfer Centers operate on a holiday schedule.  Daily except Mondays and days after holidays other than Martin Luther King, Jr's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Columbus Day and Veteran's Day.

Christmas Day:	Normal Operations
December 26:  		Minimal transportation but operational
New Year’s Day:  	Normal Operations
January 2: 		Minimal transportation but operational

Dispatch Procedures

To avoid transportation delays, manage mail volume flow before, during, and after the holiday accordingly:

•	Maximize utilization of available surface, commercial air, and FedEx transportation during the holiday period.  Dispatch all mail volume inducted on Sunday and Monday nights into the network on Tuesday to avoid overflow on Wednesday’s network.

Prioritization values established for planned routes will ensure commercial air capacity is utilized ahead of FedEx.
 
Please disseminate these policies and procedures to the appropriate personnel in your area.  Your immediate attention to these details and dispatch procedures is appreciated.  Thank you for your assistance.