DHL Set to Deliver Gifts, Spread Holiday Cheer Across the U.S. and Around the World; Expanded U.S. Network Ready For A Bustling Holiday Season.

PLANTATION, Fla. -- With preparations at the North Pole now in full swing for Santa's annual Christmas Eve sleigh ride to homes across the U.S. and around the world, DHL, the world's leading global express delivery and logistics company, is doing its part to help out by delivering millions of gift packages in time for the holidays.

Thanks to its full range of shipping products and services, DHL delivers to every ZIP Code in the U.S. and 120,000 destinations in 220 countries and territories around the world, DHL is ready to help take some of the stress out of one of the most hectic times of the year, giving weary shoppers more time for holiday cheer! No matter where in the world holiday gifts will need to be shipped this season, DHL delivers. DHL even ships packages to some of Santa's nearest neighbors in the tiny villages of Longyearbyen, Norway, and Resolute Bay, Canada -- two of the closest inhabited communities to the North Pole.

"As the world's leader in international express delivery, DHL has the widest reach and can get your holiday gifts to the four corners of the globe," said Fred Beljaars, Executive Vice President for Operations at DHL Americas. "Here in the U.S. and around the world, DHL is doing double duty to ensure that gifts arrive at their destination in time for the holidays."

In order to help spread as much holiday cheer as possible, DHL is pleased to announce that the DHL Service Guarantee will remain in effect for Overnight Express services throughout the holiday season. The DHL network will remain open for business through Christmas Eve, on Friday, December 24. And if you have a last minute gift that just has to get there, DHL's Same Day service operates every day of the year, including Christmas Day.

As one of Santa's busiest helpers this holiday season, DHL will ensure packages reach their destinations by Christmas Eve. Customers can choose the option that best suits their needs from the following range of a comprehensive products and time-definite shipping services:

--DHL Next Day by 10:30am in primary delivery areas

--DHL Next Day by 12:00pm to anywhere in the U.S.

--DHL Next Day by 3:00pm in primary delivery areas

--DHL 2nd Day with delivery by 5:00pm on the second business day

--DHL Ground service with delivery within one to six business days depending upon the origin and destination

--DHL Same Day service will pick up your package and get it on the next flight out of town

In fact, Santa's list of who's been "nice" seems to be particularly long this year! During the month of December, DHL expects to handle an average of more than 1.77 million U.S. domestic shipments each day, more than a 15 percent increase over normal daily volumes. Worldwide, DHL anticipates its shipment volume to also increase 15 percent during the holiday season. On peak delivery day, which this year is anticipated to be Monday, December 20, DHL expects to deliver over 2.25 million packages to homes and businesses across the U.S.

DHL expects that the increase in shipment volume in the run up to the holidays will require its air services partners to add an additional 76 domestic flights each week, with an estimated weekly total cargo of 2.6 million pounds. In addition, to accommodate the significant increase in volume passing through the DHL domestic ground network leading up to December 25, DHL plans to increase its ground line-haul operations to approximately 10,000 truck routes per week - up 12 percent from the average number of routes.

To ensure that packages make it under the Christmas tree in time, DHL has established "ship-by" deadlines for each of its U.S. domestic services. Those deadlines are as follows:

--For DHL Next Day service, ship by December 23

--For DHL 2nd Day service, ship by December 21

--For DHL Ground service, ship by December 17

--DHL Same Day service provides delivery every day, each day of the year

While Santa's sleigh ride takes him to households across the globe in one night, DHL will also be delivering gifts far and wide this holiday season. The company is expecting this year's top five international destinations for shipments from the U.S. to be Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan and Germany. And although DHL doesn't use reindeer or a sleigh, that doesn't stop us from offering a range of speedy and affordable international shipping services, including:

--Worldwide Priority Express - global express service for door-to-door delivery of international customs dutiable shipments

--International Documents service - express service for door-to-door delivery of international non-dutiable shipments

--Jumbo Box - for packages weighing up to 55 pounds. This service includes pick up and delivery door-to-door to over 120,000 destinations in 220 countries and territories for a low flat price

--DHL Same Day service - DHL will pick up virtually any size shipment and put it on the first available commercial flight for delivery to over 200 countries worldwide

DHL makes it easy to ship this holiday season, offering no less than six different ways to "DHL" your gift packages from your home, office or at a location in your hometown. Customers can call to arrange a pickup at 1-800-CALL-DHL or schedule a pickup online at www.dhl-usa.com and click on the "Pickups" tab at the top of the screen. Customers with last-minute holiday pick-up needs should note that all pick-up requests for December 24th must be prescheduled no later than December 23rd, and that express shipments picked up on December 24th will be delivered on December 27th. Two-day shipments picked up on December 24th will be delivered on December 28th.

Packaged gifts can also be dropped off at DHL's nationwide network of customer access points, which includes local DHL Service Centers, any of the 16,000 DHL Drop Boxes across the U.S., and over 5,300 DHL Authorized Shipping Centers and OfficeMax stores. To find the nearest DHL facility to you, visit the DHL web site at www.dhl-usa.com and click on the "Locations" tab at the top of the screen. At DHL, we're doing double duty to take the stress out of all your holiday shipping!

About DHL

With annual revenues over $25 billion in 2003, DHL is the global market leader of the international express and logistics industry, specializing in providing innovative and customized solutions from a single source.

DHL offers expertise in express, air and ocean freight, overland transport and logistics solutions, combined with worldwide coverage and an in-depth understanding of local markets. DHL's international network links more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. Over 160,000 employees are dedicated to providing fast and reliable services that exceed customers' expectations. Founded in San Francisco in 1969, DHL is 100% owned by Deutsche Post World Net. For more information on DHL, please visit www.dhl.com.