It’s a bird. It’s a plane. Actually, it’s a bus.
American Airlines will be transporting passengers on some of its connecting flights on buses instead of planes. The airline signed a deal with Landline, a company that describes itself as the airport of the future (if the airport of the future ran out of planes). The company took to Twitter to say in part, “We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with @AmericanAir! Seamless connections between American’s Philadelphia hub to Lehigh Valley Airport (ABE), and Atlantic City International Airport (ACY), beginning June 3.”
The latest switch from clouds to asphalt comes amidst increasing fuel prices and a shortage of pilots that’s mostly affecting regional airlines. However, American Airlines promises it will be the same great experience you’ve come to expect from the company. Passengers will be able to purchase tickets through American Airlines and baggage will hopefully make its way from the bus to the plane as with any other connecting flight. The buses will even be donned in the same paint as the planes. All that’s missing is actually leaving the ground.
As an added bonus, passengers will clear security in Allentown and Atlantic City prior to arriving at the Philadelphia International Airport, where the buses will transport them to a special gate.
Landline has similar partnerships with United Airlines in Denver, which the company refers to as “groundline coach,” and Sun Country Airlines in seven cities across Minnesota and Wisconsin. It proposes the bus flights as a more convenient alternative to travel between airports.
The flights from Philadelphia to Allentown and to Atlantic City currently take about 30 minutes each. By bus, the trip would take about two hours. On the other hand, travelling by bus is a lot more environmentally friendly than hopping on a plane. Buses release a significantly lower amount of carbon dioxide into the air, thereby reducing your carbon footprint.