Incoming! Amazon expands drone delivery so you can get new AirPods faster

Amazon announced plans on Wednesday to expand its drone delivery service to nearly 500 US cities by the end of the year. This move aims to provide millions of additional customers with faster, smaller package deliveries. Amazon drones can carry packages weighing up to 5 pounds and deliver them to customers in as little as 30 minutes. The company plans to intensify competition with Walmart in the fast delivery market, providing faster delivery times through a mix of drones and drivers.

Amazon's drone delivery operation will grow more than sixfold, covering hundreds of new communities including Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Boise. The drones will primarily fly over suburban areas, avoiding skyscrapers and major airports. Despite having already delivered hundreds of thousands of packages this year, drones will still handle only a fraction of the annual 400 million package deliveries.

Amazon has already faced numerous challenges, including tree cover, landscaping, and inflatable pools, which make it difficult to find suitable drop zones. Regulatory hurdles and noise concerns also need to be addressed in each community where Amazon wants to set up drone operations. Sucharita Kodali, a retail analyst with Forrester, noted that this is still an experiment and test-and-learn phase for Amazon.

Walmart also uses drones in select locations as part of its delivery service, but its primary network relies on drivers to bring orders directly from its stores to customers. Walmart has not commented on Amazon's announcement yet. Early this year, Walmart stated its plan to expand drone delivery services to 150 more stores by 2027 in partnership with Wing, a division of Alphabet.

Currently, Prime members who spend over $50 on their orders can receive free drone deliveries, while smaller orders cost $2.99 for Prime members and $4.99 for non-members.