FedEx's profitability improvements are on track Moreover, FedEx's plan to improve profitability by $1.6 billion before the end of 2016 was declared to be "not only on track, but probably ahead of plan" on the conference call. This is impressive, bearing in mind the difficulties in the quarter and that fact that global growth has not being as strong as FedEx's hoped when it outlined its plan in 2012. Given that operating income was only $2.5 billion in 2013, the profitability improvement planis a significant earnings driver for the company. Development on this front is a lot more meaningful than one bad quarter of weather.