No drones? No worries. Amazon adds one-hour delivery across Manhattan
Amazon has brushed off its drone disappointment by announcing the whole of Manhattan, in New York City, can now benefit from one-hour Prime Now deliveries.
Just 24 hours after the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration put the kibosh on the firm’s Prime Air plans, Amazon bounced back by expanding its fastest land-based operation (via TechCrunch).
To make use of the delivery service, which is another benefit of Prime membership, shoppers must download the Prime Now account and login to their Amazon account.
Users can get 1-hour delivery for a $7.99 fee, but if they’re prepared to wait two hours they can pick an available delivery window (from 6am to midnight) for free. Shoppers can even track where their courier is on a map within the app.
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During its initial trials, the retail behemoth had offered Prime Now in small areas of the Manhattan. Since the start, Amazon has pledged to offer the service in more cities, and today’s roll out looks to be the start of the wider Amazon Prime Now push.
Given the FAA shot down (metaphorically speaking) Amazon’s plans for 30-minute delivery by air in proposed regulations, it wouldn’t be a surprise for the company to give Prime Now an extra push sooner rather than later.