Oct. 11, 2002 – It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, at least at the U.S. Postal Service.
The agency announces its mail-by dates for international and military mail. Domestic dates should be out by mid-November, according to Postmaster Louis A. Jackson.
"The key thing is to mail early," Jackson said.
He said that to make sure addresses aren't obliterated, put a copy of the return address as well as the recipient's address inside the box.
The dates for both boxes and envelopes are:
– Military mail to APO/FPO Zip Codes 090-098, 340 and 962-966: Parcel Post, Nov. 6,
– Space Available Mail (SAM,) Nov. 27,
– Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL,) Dec. 4,
– Priority Mail and first class letters and cards, Dec. 11,
– International mail: Africa surface, Nov. 1, Air Parcel Post and air letters and cards, Dec. 9,
– Asia/Pacific Rim and Australia/New Zealand surface, Nov. 6; Air Parcel Post and air letters and cards, Dec. 16,
– Canada surface, Nov. 23, Air Parcel Post and air letters and cards, Dec. 16,
– Caribbean surface, Nov. 20, Air Parcel Post and air letters and cards, Dec. 16,
– Central and South America surface, Nov. 6, Air Parcel Post and air letters and cards, Dec. 9,
– Mexico surface, Nov. 23, Air Parcel Post and air letters and cards, Dec. 16,
– Europe surface, Nov. 13, Air Parcel Post and air letters and cards, Dec. 16,
– Middle East surface, Nov. 1, Air Parcel Post and air letters and cards, Dec. 16.
PAL mail is available for packages up to 30 pounds and 60 inches length and girth combined. There is a PAL fee in addition to the regular surface rate of postage.
SAM parcels have a maximum weight of 15 pounds and size of 60 inches in length and girth combined. These packages go domestically via surface mail and then on to overseas destinations on a space-available basis.
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