Emery Air Freight (1946–1979)
In 1946, John C. Emery Sr. and Leonard G. Hunt founded Emery Air Freight Corporation in New York City. [1] [5] Emery was the first air freight forwarder to apply for a license from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) as a common carrier, despite opposition from scheduled airlines. In 1948, Emery was granted common air freight carrier license No. 1 by the CAB. [1]
By 1966, Emery had expanded significantly, operating 60 offices in the US and 30 internationally, with over 1,400 employees. The company managed 40% of the cargo handled by the nation’s air freight forwarders and accounted for two-thirds of their earnings. [6] In 1969, Emery introduced EmCon, a pioneering computerized tracking system, following a $3 million investment in a 10-year computer lease with IBM. [6] In November 1969, John Emery Sr. and co-founder Leonard Hunt both passed away. [1]
In response to reduced air carrier routes in the early 1970s, Emery began leasing aircraft and, in 1976, launched the Emery Air Force, a fleet of leased cargo planes. By 1977, this fleet included 16 planes, growing to 66 leased aircraft by the end of 1979. [7] [8]
Emery Worldwide (1981–2001)
Emery Air Freight was rebranded as Emery Worldwide in 1981. The company started acquiring its own aircraft and established Emery Worldwide Airlines. That year, it built a freight sortation "Superhub" in Dayton, Ohio, central to its North American distribution network. [9] [10] By 1983, Emery operated a fleet of 64 aircraft and was noted for offering the broadest range of services in the air freight industry, being the largest international forwarder of documents and packages. [10]
In April 1987, Emery acquired Purolator Courier for $306 million, aiming to enhance its small package market presence. However, the integration of Purolator proved challenging, leading to substantial losses in 1988 and early 1989. [11] [12] In April 1989, Emery was acquired by Consolidated Freightways (CF) for $230 million and merged with CF’s air freight division to form Emery Worldwide, A CF Company. [1]
CF struggled to reverse Emery’s financial difficulties, which led to CF’s first loss since 1961 and the resignation of its president in 1990. Arthur C. Bass, appointed to lead Emery, lasted less than six months, and was succeeded by W. Roger Curry, who managed to restore profitability by 1995. [13] [14] In 1996, CF rebranded as CNF Transportation Inc., and Emery became Emery Worldwide, A CNF Company. [15]
Emery Worldwide Airlines faced safety violations, leading to the grounding of its planes on August 13, 2001, following an FAA investigation and the crash of Flight 17 on February 16, 2000. Emery’s cargo operations were subcontracted to other carriers, with no service disruption to customers. [16] [17]
