FedEx anticipates busiest day of the season

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WHDH) -- Many of us this holiday season are scrambling right now, to make sure we can get gifts shipped in time to make it to friends and loved ones by Christmas.

Analysts say Monday will be the busiest day in the history of FedEx shipping.

The FedEx world hub in Memphis is a place in constant motion right now. Millions of packages, most of them holiday presents are moving through the facility. Activity begins out on the tarmac.

It's not your typical sleigh but with The fifth largest air fleet in the world 660 planes - this is how most of your gifts get where they are going.

And they're going all over the world.

"What we're actually expecting over the next 24 hours is about 20 million pounds of traffic,” said John Dunavant, FedEx VP Memphis World Hub.

A sea of boxes, bags and letters that FedEx officials say will make tomorrow not only their biggest day of the season but also, the busiest in history.

"Peak for us, tomorrow's going to be 19 million packages, on an average day, it's about 9 million packages,” said Dunavant.

All of it is controlled by the team inside this nerve center of the super hub.

"They're kinda the wizards of Oz, they're the people behind the curtains that make the hub run,” said Dunavant.

Moving crews into place, monitoring data from scanners and video from 250 cameras all focused on what insiders call, "the matrix"

A forty-two mile maze of conveyor belts, a process driven by technology, but that still includes a human touch.

"We feel a sense of importance of what we do, just because we are shipping, potentially someone's Christmas present,” said Ken Gieszler, FedEx Material Handler.

Everyone at FedEx is working around the clock to give the same gift this season: on-time delivery.

You still have time to get something delivered before the holiday. The cut-off date for sending a ground shipment is Dec. 17. It will cost a bit more but you can send a gift express as late as Dec. 22.