WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service will deliver packages on Sundays in major cities and high volume areas during the holiday season.

Seven-day delivery will run from Nov. 17 through Christmas Day in response to anticipated growing demands.

The agency expects a 12 percent growth in its package business this holiday season, or in the range of about 450 to 470 million packages.

The Postal Service says demand for package services has grown as online retailers ship more products to their customers.

The struggling agency lost $2 billion this spring despite increasing its volume and charging consumers more money to send mail.

The Postal Service is an independent agency that receives no tax dollars for day-to-day operations but is subject to congressional control.