New code speeds mail delivery process Published March 29, 2007 By 31st Communications Squadron Aviano Air Base, Italy -- Beginning Monday, Aviano members need to add four more digits after their zip code to receive mail faster. Adding four digits to the zip code can get Letter Class Mail from the United States to Aviano faster and speed mail delivery locally by several hours. Additionally, this initiative will take stress off local mail clerks. The Aviano post office receives and processes about 4,000 letters daily, which takes more than three hours to sort. Box numbers are sorted by 100s at the mail processing center in New York. A United States Postal Service automation Optical Character Reader reads delivery addresses from the bottom up. If it recognizes the zip code and four numbers, the letter goes to the designated tray to its final destination. If the OCR doesn't recognize the zip code, the automation system spits the letter into a bin for unrecognizable zip codes and four-digit codes, and is sent to get processed for manual sorting. Without the additional four digits, box numbers ranging from one to 5000 are mingled in the same LCM tray. The zip code plus four digits isn't something new. The Postal Service has been using automated sorting since the early 1990s. This system was implemented in the Pacific Air Forces theater in early 2001 and the system has been working well for all Military Post Offices. The overall benefit of the new code to the patron is faster incoming mail service, automation requirements are met, and the service saves money spent on hourly wages for manual sorting. The money saved by the Postal Service from the military benefits Aviano customers with continued free shipping supplies for all military locations. See below for Aviano specific four-digit codes. Failure to use the code may result in mail delivery delays due to additional manual handling. In addition to the new four-digit initiative, Aviano is migrating the PSC 54 and the zip code 09601 to PSC 103 and the zip code 09603. Years ago Aviano had two separate post offices on the flight line and Area Two, making two PSCs and zip codes necessary. Now that the post office is consolidated, the extra zip code and PSC number are no longer needed. All post office patrons will keep their existing box numbers, but should begin using PSC 103 APO AE 09603 immediately. For those who already use that as their PSC address, the only new change is to add the four digit number at the end of the zip code. Change of address cards are available at the parcel pick-up window, if needed. For any questions, call Tech. Sgt. Jeffery Williamson or Tech. Sgt. Arthur McDowell at Ext. 4086. If you box number is between the following, then use the cooresponding four digit code after your zip code: 1 - 99 0001 101-199 0002 201-299 0003 301-399 0004 401-499 0005 501-599 0006 601-699 0007 701-799 0008 801-899 0009 901-1099 0010 1001-1099 0011 1101-1199 0012 1201-1299 0013 1301-1399 0014 1401-1499 0015 1501-1599 0016 1601-1699 0017 1701-1799 0018 1801-1899 0019 1901-1999 0020 2001-2099 0021 2101-2199 0022 2201-2299 0023 2301-2399 0024 2401-2499 0025 2501-2599 0026 2601-2699 0027 2701-2799 0028 2801-2899 0029 2901-2999 0030 3001-3099 0031 3101-3199 0032 3201-3299 0033 3301-3399 0034 3401-3499 0035 3501-3599 0036 3601-3699 0037 3701-3799 0038 3801-3899 0039 3901-3999 0040 4001-4099 0041 4101-4199 0042 4201-4299 0043 4301-4399 0044 4401-4499 0045 4501-4599 0046 4601-4699 0047 4701-4799 0048 4801-4899 0049 4901-4999 0050 5001-5099 0051 5101-5199 0052 5201-5299 0053 5301-5399 0054 5401-5499 0055