ABX Air, a subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) that handles Amazon and DHL Worldwide Express packages at Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport, asked a federal judge to force 250 striking pilots back to work after flights were halted on Tuesday.
      In its complaint ABX said 26 flights loaded with 1.25 million pounds of cargo were grounded Tuesday.
      For their part, pilots (who are currently in negotiation for a new contract) said that they were working on forced overtime to compensate for being short-staffed.
      ABX operates 45 flights a day for DHL. Amazon customers will also see delays and disruptions.
      Although the local judge ordered the pilots back to work for the most important retail weekend of the year, this is a big wake-up call to Amazon, which is finding out first hand what it means to own aircraft.
      ATSG recently signed a contract with Amazon to fly 20 Prime Air planes by 2018. ATSG is already flying 14 aircraft (35 flights a day) for Amazon.
      In the meantime, Amazon continues development of its drone robot delivery technologies.
      They may need them.
Geoffrey