UPS expects to transport roughly 118 million flowers for Valentine's Day, with majority coming from Latin American nations such as Colombia, Ecuador; more than 90% of imported flowers--exceeding 200,000 boxes--will come through Miami International Airport

Cindy Allen

ATLANTA , February 11, 2014 (press release) – UPS Expects to Move 118 Million Flowers During the 2014 Valentine's Day Season

Love is in the air and on the ground as UPS® (NYSE: UPS) prepares to transport an estimated 118 million flowers for Valentine's Day. Most of the flowers imported for Cupid's holiday come from Latin American countries such as Colombia and Ecuador. More than 90 percent of the imported blossoms travel through Miami International Airport, where UPS is the largest air cargo carrier.

According to the National Retail Federation, the average consumer is expected to spend $133.91 on Valentine's Day gifts with total spending expected to hit more than $17 billion. One-third of this year's gift-givers will purchase flowers, and UPS will be kicking it into high gear for the celebration, which marks one of UPS's busiest single delivery days of the year.

"Flowers can warm the hearts of recipients but only if they're kept cool in transit," said Jose Acosta, UPS Americas Region president of Latin American Operations. "UPS transports millions of flowers in temperature-controlled aircraft and keeps them fresh in a 27,000 square-foot warehouse upon their arrival at our UPS air cargo facility. Our planners work closely with customers and government inspectors so that the entire journey can be completed in as little as 24 hours."

Throughout the 2013 Valentine's season, UPS moved nearly eight million pounds of flowers. With the 2014 Valentine's season underway, UPS is revving up its air travel between Miami and Latin America to manage more than 200,000 boxes of blossoms. In the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day, UPS added a number of additional flights to deliver the flowers in time for lovebirds celebrating this year.


About UPS
UPS (NYSE:UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including transporting packages and freight; facilitating international trade, and deploying advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the web at ups.com® and its corporate blog can be found at blog.ups.com. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.

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