Domestic air expense of $2.0 billion declined 1.9 percent compared to 2009. This was primarily due to reduced mail volume shifts from higher cost air transportation to lower cost highway transportation created by the NDC implementation.
International air expense totaled $449 million, a decrease of $163 million, or 26.6 percent. This was due to lower mail volumes, decreases in foreign postal transaction fees, and negotiated air carrier rates.
