As people around the world gave flowers to loved ones this Valentine’s Day holiday, the freight carriers American Airlines Cargo and Avianca Cargo are sharing details on the logistics operations required to stock shops with fresh blooms.
Fort Worth, Texas-based American Airlines Cargo said it had moved more than 1.2 million pounds of flowers ahead of the February 14 event, mainly on routes moving out of Europe and Latin America during the days from February 1 to 10.
Other peak dates for flower shipments in American’s cargo network include the Emperor’s Birthday in Japan, Easter, Mother’s Day in the U.S. and Europe, All Saints Day, U.S. Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
For Valentine’s cargo, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) remained the top origin for flowers moving out of Europe this year, with tulips being the most common type. During the 10-day peak, American Airlines Cargo moved fresh flowers from AMS to London Heathrow (LHR) via truck, where they then traveled on American’s extensive widebody network to the U.S. Top destinations for these Dutch blooms include Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), John. F Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Miami International Airport (MIA), and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD).
American also shipped significant volumes of flowers out of Latin American locations, including Bogota El Dorado International Airport (BOG) with the highest volumes, followed by Quito International Airport (UIO) and Medellin Airport (MDE). This year, the flowers head to U.S. destinations including BOS, DFW, ORD, and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), as well as locations like LHR, Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) and San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU). During the Valentine’s Day peak, 90% of the flowers out of Latin America are roses.
Likewise, the Colombian carrier Avianca Cargo said it had doubled its regular capacity to meet peak demand, operating around 300 flights between January 16 and February 8 to haul close to 18,000 tons of flowers from Colombia and Ecuador to the U.S.
The airline also invested in its ground infrastructure to handle those shipments, modernizing the Jetfloor (the type of floor used) to offer a new configuration in its cooler, thus increasing its capacity by 83% to serve up to six flights simultaneously. Avianca Cargo also cut flower processing and delivery times to its customers by 57%, and increased its perishable cargo depalletization capacity by 40%. In Bogota, Avianca Cargo implemented extended receiving hours for 24/7 service on the receiving lines; increased personnel in the operation by 30%; and implemented a system with virtual scheduling that reduced cargo acceptance times by 56% compared to 2023.
Among the most exported flowers this season by the airline were roses and carnations from Bogota, Colombia; pompons, hydrangeas and chrysanthemums from Medellin, Colombia; and roses, carnations and gypsophila from Quito, Ecuador.
