POWER OF ATTORNEY
          Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes
and appoints Quint O. Turner and W. Joseph Payne, signing
singly, the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:
          1.   prepare, sign, acknowledge, deliver and file for and on behalf of
               the undersigned, in the undersigned's capacity as an officer
               and/or director of ABX Air, Inc. (the "Company"), Forms 3, 4, and
               5 and any amendments thereof in accordance with Section 16(a) of
               the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder,
               with respect to securities or contracts of (or with respect to)
               the Company, and Form ID or other information to secure an access
               and any other code and/or CIK number to permit my filing via
               EDGAR;
          2.   do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the
               undersigned which may be necessary or desirable to complete and
               execute any such Form 3, 4, or 5 and timely file such form with
               the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and any
               stock exchange or similar authority;
          3.   seek or obtain, as my representative and on my behalf,
               information concerning transactions in or with respect to the
               Company's securities from any third party, including brokers,
               employee benefit plans administrators and trustees, knowing that
               I hereby authorize any such person to release any such
               information to the attorney-in-fact and approve any such release
               of information; and
          4.   take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with
               the foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may
               be of benefit to, in the best interest of, or legally required
               by, the undersigned, it being understood that the documents
               executed by such attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned
               pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in such form and
               shall contain such terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact
               may approve in such attorney-in-fact's discretion.
          The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power
and authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever
requisite, necessary, or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights
and powers herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the
undersigned might or could do if personally present, with full power of
substitution or revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that such
attorney-in-fact, or such attorney-in-fact's substitute or substitutes, shall
lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue of this power of attorney and the
rights and powers herein granted. This Power of Attorney authorizes, but does
not require, each such attorney-in-fact to act in his or her discretion on
information provided to such attorney-in-fact without independent verification
of such information. The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing
attorneys-in-fact, in serving in such capacity at the request of the
undersigned, are not assuming, nor is the Company assuming, any of the
undersigned's responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 or any liability I may have with respect to transactions
reported or reportable thereunder
          This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the
earlier of (a) ten years from the date of this Power of Agreement or (b) the
undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4, and 5 with respect to
the undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities issued by the
Company, unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing delivered
to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.
          IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney
to be executed as of this 30th day of December, 2003.

   /s/ Joseph C. Hete
Signature
   Joseph C. Hete
Name