United Parcel Service, suffering through a big public relations debacle with holiday shipments that failed to reach clients in time for Christmas, may have jets to blame in part for the woes, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The newspaper reported Friday that the unexpected boom in last-minute packages "swamped the company's air fleet," created by a smaller number of cargo planes, according to sources within the industry.
The Journal added that although UPS always has a war-games-style preparation for the peak Christmas season, a combination of factors caught the giant carrier by surprise. These included a surge in online purchases encouraged by retailers, as well as "just-in-time" delivery promises made by certain merchants.
Complaints were also made about missed deliveries by FedEx.
(Read more: UPS, FedEx scramble to deliver delayed Christmas packages)
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