291UPS
In 1982 UPS selected Louisville International Airport to be the center of its air operations and
began to set up a Memphis-like hub on 550 acres between the existing airport’s two parallel run-
ways. By 1985, UPS Next Day Air service was available in all 48 states and Puerto Rico. Alaska and
Hawaii were added later. That same year, UPS began its intercontinental service as it commenced
ying packages and documents between the United States and six European countries. Blue Label
Air service morphed into UPS 2nd Day Air, giving shippers a less expensive alternative for impor-
tant packages that didn’t have to be there overnight.
It wasn’t until 1988, when the FAA granted UPS authorization to operate its own aircraft, that UPS
Airlines was ...