But a shopper wondering if the sweater they ordered online for grandma was on board may not know for a while.
``It's not the recipient that gets called. It's the shipper. Our customer is the shipper,'' FedEx spokeswoman Sandra Munoz said Friday.
FedEx has already started notifying shippers who had packages on the plane, but the amount of damage to the plane's cargo is still unclear since federal investigators have the aircraft sealed off.
Scott Krugman of the National Retail Federation said most retailers, especially those with catalog or Internet sales, let their customers know as soon as possible about shipping problems.
``All of them provide tracking numbers and if there are issues with delivery, consumers will have some recourse,'' Krugman said.
The MD-10, which has the cargo space of four railroad cars, caught fire Thursday.
Two pilots and five passengers aboard the plane got out through its front windows by climbing down escape lines. Only one minor injury was reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board said early interviews with witnesses indicate the plane's right landing gear collapsed on the runway. The engine on the right wing of the aircraft was heavily burned in the fire.
The fire also burned large holes in the right side of the plane which was covered with smoke residue.
Because of the NTSB investigation, FedEx employees were not immediately allowed on the plane.
``We're working with them and helping them, but it's their show now,'' Munoz said.
FedEx, which owns the world's largest cargo airline, ships 3 million packages a day. On its busiest day - expected to be Dec. 22 - the company ships close to 4 million packages.
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