United States
AirLetter Express Mail First Day Cover
AirLetter Express Mail First Day Cover
Between 1982 and 1984 several airlines and courier services issued private labels to get customers to use expedited mail services. The labels, which sold for one dollar, stated that the service was "designed to increase the opportunity for either Special Delivery Service or Second Day Service of your normal First Class Mail. This Service Indicator buys fast, safe, business-day pick up and delivery of normal First Class Mail to designated areas of the United States."
The labels have a blank area in the upper right for standard USPS postage stamps. For standard delivery a 20 cent stamp was added for a service designated "Second Day Service." Other labels were marked "Special Delivery Service" which, effective March 22, 1981, was $2.10 in addition to the First Class rate of 20 cents. A similar label from American Express marked "Service Back Guarantee" also carried $2.30 postage. There were at least four providers of this type of service:
Western Airlines issued the first of sixteen stamps on February 15, 1982 with the final issue being released in 1984; Burlington Northern Airfreight issued six stamps between August 30, 1982 and 1983; American Express issued 3 stamps on January 10, 1982 and PRIDE (Prompt Response Insurance Delivery Express) issued 7 labels on February 28, 1983. Consumers did not deem these expedited services as being worth the extra cost and within a few years they came to an end.
Bibliography
"FDCs ~ Special Delivery, Certified, Registered, Special Handling, Postal Savings, Airlift, etc." Swapmeet Dave's On-Line Carnival & Flea Market.
9 Sep. 2022. David H. Ahl. Web. 9 Sep. 2022. swapmeetdave.com/Stamps/FDC/Special.htm.
"Western Airletter Experiment." Stamp Community Family. 20 Nov. 2011. Stamp Community Forums. Web. 9 Sep. 2022.
www.stampcommunity.org/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=20331.
