Walmart expands drone deliveries to five new cities, including Atlanta

Walmart is expanding its drone delivery service to five new cities: Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando, Charlotte, and Houston. This expansion makes Walmart the first retailer to offer drone-based deliveries across five states, including Arkansas where the service is already operational. The service is launching at 100 stores, thanks to a partnership with Wing, which operates its drones within FAA guidelines. Wing's CEO, Adam Woodworth, described the expansion as "real drone delivery at scale." The drones can deliver up to six miles from the retail location, and Walmart aims to reach every store within a year. Customers can sign up for notifications to know when drone deliveries become available in their area. Walmart has already made over 150,000 drone deliveries, with an average fulfillment time of 19 minutes. However, there is a weight limit, and Wing drones will only deliver certain items. Meanwhile, rival Amazon's in-house drone delivery program experienced a hiccup due to two crashes, but it has since resumed and can now deliver new items like smartphones and video doorbells. Walmart's expansion is a significant step forward in the development of drone delivery services.