From America(n) with love
From 29 January through 13 February, demand for Valentine’s Day flowers marks one of the busiest seasons for American Airlines Cargo. On average, the airline ships up to 500 t of flowers during this time each year. And the floral love keeps on growing, especially in Amsterdam.
This year American moved 417 t of cut flowers from the Dutch capital, a 15% increase over the 358 t of flowers moved in 2019. From there, American either flies them directly to Philadelphia or trucks them to London Heathrow to be flown to US destinations.
Miami also plays a large role in flower traffic during this time of year. In 2019, American shipped 106 t of flowers from its Miami hub during the two weeks before 14 February. Many of these shipments originated in South America – primarily Quito, Ecuador, and Bogota, Colombia. (ah)