Amazon Drones to Deliver in 500 US Cities

Amazon says its Prime Air drone delivery service will reach nearly 500 US cities and towns by the end of this year — a sixfold increase over its current footprint.

The drones carry packages weighing up to 5 pounds and, the company says, can reach a customer's home in as little as 30 minutes.

The expansion pushes Amazon deeper into its speed war with Walmart, which also uses a mix of drivers and drones to move orders.

The Details

Prime Air will launch in the Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland, Boise and Syracuse, New York metro areas, with Amazon promising "more communities to come later this year," according to the company announcement reported by The Verge.

Those join 11 existing sites across Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Texas. Each site launches drones from an Amazon warehouse and covers roughly 175 square miles, so a single large metro area needs several launch points.

The flights will stay mostly over suburban neighborhoods, away from skyscrapers and major airports.

Prime members ordering more than $50 of goods get drone delivery free. Members with smaller orders pay $2.99; non-members pay $4.99.

Prime Air vice president David Carbon says the service has already delivered "hundreds of thousands of packages to customers" this year, with most orders arriving about 60 minutes after checkout.