It’s a bird. It’s a plane. Actually, it’s a bus.
Some passengers on American Airlines connecting flights will be transported on buses instead of planes according to an announcement. The airline signed a deal with Landline, a bus 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 has mostly affected regional airlines. 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 bus trips 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. Which doesn’t seem convenient at all. On the other hand, traveling 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.