Amazon Expands Drone Delivery Service to Nearly 500 Cities and Towns

Amazon is rapidly expanding its Prime Air drone delivery service to nearly 500 cities and towns by the end of 2026, a six-fold increase from its current level. This expansion will bring the service to seven additional states: Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, Idaho, and New York, in addition to Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, and Texas.

The company has been testing and rolling out drone deliveries since 2014. Currently, items weighing five pounds or less that fit in a large shoebox are eligible for the service. Prime members can get free delivery on orders of $50 or more, with arrival expected in 30 to 60 minutes after the order is placed.

Amazon has delivered hundreds of thousands of packages by drone this year, but not all deliveries have been successful. In a video posted online, an attempted delivery in Texas showed the drone dropping the package into a pool at the delivery address.