As soon as the pandemic started, airmail services stated to shut down. Normally, airmail packets “hitch a ride” on commercial airliners already making the trip. But when those ceased, airmail service stopped. So what happened? All of the pending airmail got switched to “surface mail,” which is code for shipping on a boat. I had several packages go from an ETA measured in days to an ETA measured in weeks and months. I…
> hitch a ride This reads as "subsidised by fliers" to me
Barely. A passenger airplane can fit a certain number of people. Their suitcases are unlikely to fill the cargo hold, so the airlines sell the extra cargo space