is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.
Wing, the drone company owned by Alphabet, and Walmart are expanding their delivery partnership to five new cities in the US, the companies announced today. Customers who shop at Walmart stores in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa will soon have the ability to request a drone deliver their online shopping orders.
Walmart and Wing currently offer drone delivery at approximately 15 stores in northwest Arkansas and Dallas-Fort Worth. Today’s announcement will bring an additional 100 stores into the fold.
“As we look ahead, drone delivery will remain a key part of our commitment to redefining retail,” said Greg Cathey, SVP, Walmart U.S. Transformation and Innovation, in a statement. “We’re pushing the boundaries of convenience to better serve our customers, making shopping faster and easier than ever before.”
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1 / 4 Image: Wing
Walmart has been working with a number of drone operators, but it seems to be most happy with its partnership with Wing. Since launching drone delivery in 2021, Walmart says it has completed more than 150,000 deliveries — sometimes within 30 minutes of the order being placed.
There are a few restrictions: Customers must live within six miles of a store under FAA rules governing drone operations “beyond the visual line of sight.” An order needs to be under a certain weight to qualify for drone delivery, but Walmart says that covers everything from groceries to health and wellness products to household goods.
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