Flirtey, 7-Eleven complete 77 on-demand drone deliveries in Reno | Technobubble

Jason Hidalgo
Reno Gazette Journal

 

A Flirtey drone delivers a package from 7-Eleven in Reno.

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Reno marked another first in the commercial drone business after Flirtey announced the successful delivery of 77 packages in the Biggest Little City.

Flirtey announced the milestone Tuesday, which was done from one 7-Eleven store in Reno during the month of November. The drone deliveries follow the first-ever customer order, which was also done in Reno in July, as well as the first Domino’s pizza delivery in New Zealand in August. It also comes after a recent test by NASA and the University of Nevada, Reno in October for managing drone traffic in a commercial space. Nevada is one of a few drone test sites designated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

 

NASA, Reno university test system for managing drone traffic safely | Technobubble

Mike Joyer of Reno says he used the service multiple times, ordering anything from pizza to Slurpees.

“(I) ordered pizza slices and a drink on my phone (and) 10 minutes later my phone buzzed and said my food was outside,” Joyer said. “We also had drone parties for kids and their friends (where) we would order four Slurpees at a time and the kids thought the drone was the coolest thing ever.”

The November deliveries in partnership with 7-Eleven represent the first example of full-fledged drone deliveries by the Reno-based company in a busy, populated area. The deliveries also give Flirtey a headstart over rival drone operations from Amazon and Google parent company Alphabet.

All customer orders were placed on-demand and not predetermined, according to Flirtey. The average delivery time for the 7-Eleven packages was about 10 minutes from the point that the orders are made. The deliveries were placed using a custom app that allows customers to view items for delivery as well as the times for loading, departure and arrival of the package.

Popular items for delivery include over-the-counter medication as well as hot food items and cold drinks.

Flirtey CEO Matthew Sweeny called the deliveries a big step for the company and the commercial drone sector as a whole.

“We have now successfully completed the first month of routine commercial drone deliveries to customer homes in partnership with 7-Eleven,” Sweeny said in a statement. “This is a giant leap towards a future where everyone can experience the convenience of Flirtey’s instant store-to-door drone delivery.”

Flirtey and 7-Eleven plan to expand their drone delivery partnership and operations in 2017.