DHL unveils time-definite delivery services to/from U.S.

DHL Express on Monday announced the rollout of time-definite services linking the United States with international markets, in what is the carrier's biggest expansion of U.S. services since it withdrew from domestic U.S. operations in January 2009.

Under the service, U.S. businesses will be able to ship products internationally with time-definite deliveries of either 9 a.m. or 12 noon. The one exception would be Mexico, where packages would be delivered by 10: 30 a.m. The deliveries would be executed in one or two business days, depending on the origins or destinations of the shipments.

For U.S. imports, deliveries would be made either by 10: 30 or noon, depending on the customer's preference.

The geographic coverage is relatively limited. The early service is available from the United States to 20 airport locations or location codes established by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The noon deliveries are available to 99 airport or IATA destinations.

On the import side, the 10: 30 service is available from 500 airport or IATA origins outside the United States. The noon service is available to the United States from 600 airport or IATA origins.

On Jan. 30, 2009, DHL ceased service within the United States, and today serves the world's largest market only as part of an international routing. Existing international services to and from the United States reach their destinations at what a DHL spokesman called the "end of the next possible business day" in the destination markets.