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FedEx Flight 1311 DEN-MEM: What's the deal with this route?
Stalking some FedEx flights, I came across FedEx 1311, an Airbus A300 nightly flight from DEN to MEM for the nightly sort. Does anyone have any good ideas as to why dispatch has this route going the wrong way, southbound, for 200 miles before turning towards MEM? Obviously it could be for the MEM arrival, but this seems a little dramatic considering this is one of the earliest flights into MEM. (flightaware.com) Plus d'info...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Saving fuel flying longer? Dispatching's glitch or glitches? Please enlighten me guys, tks!
is there any other sweep flight other than this one?
To clear this up, this aircraft is an empty aircraft that can be diverted incase an aircraft is broken in the western region of the United States, it usually is diverted and rarely makes it empty anywhere, per my dad who works in fedex aircraft dispatch.
Brad, your dad's info is correct. Flt1311DEN-MEM is a sweeper for the western and southern US. I used to launch this aircraft daily from MEM-DEN. It is always an A300 and rarley leaves MEM late. Due to the plan of sweeping of the region and being able to drop in and get out to still make the night sort. This is not uncommon, many cargo airliners do this. The aircraft leaves DEN, half full of empty ULDs and the other empty. The A300 has a great balance of all ULD types, and only burns two engines. It rarely goes North, because I believe that region is sweep by an aircraft out of SEA, but have seen it go to YYC once. You guys should see the special that was done on FedEx, I think by nightline. FedEx has four aircraft a night in the air known as sweepers. They are for recovery of maintnence downed aircraft or excessive overflow.
Brad, speaking of FedEx, for years there was a daily flight into MKE [my home airport] FDX761, then last summer they started changing the number just about every month. FDX762, then FDX763, now FDX728... just curious if you have any insight into what the rhyme or reason behind that is..?
Not uncommon as of late with flight numbers being changed. Still they do not change that often. Have you noticed a different aircraft type on this route? And does it now go to another ramp after MKE. If so this flight number could be the final destination flight number.
It's always been (and still is) a DC-10 [or "MD-10" for those who can't embrace the legacy]. It's had always been MEM-MKE-MSP as 761. It's always been the same time of day. ..and there's only 2 gates it would even fit into at MKE anyway. I was curious since nothing that I can see has changed...
After looking at the Flight, it appears that starting in Sep. The flight goes MEM-MKE-MSP, so the 0728 was likly MSP original flight number.