Why Your Next American Airlines Flight Might NOT Be On an Airplane ?

Getting ready to travel to Disney World? If you haven’t been in a while, you should know that a LOT has changed since 2020 when it comes to making the journey to the parks.

Face mask mandates are still in effect in airports and on planes, many airlines have experienced more delays and cancelations due to staffing shortages, and even once you arrive at the Orlando airport, your experience will be different now that Magical Express has been discontinued. Now, one airline is introducing an additional way to transport guests, and it’s…not an airplane. ?

According to the Washington Post, American Airlines is launching a new partnership that will take travelers between different airports — but not by plane. This system will instead use buses to transport passengers!

Landline is working with American Airlines to transport passengers via bus from the Philadelphia International Airport to Lehigh Valley International Airpot and Atlantic City International Airport. This service officially begins on June 3rd, but you can book tickets through Landline starting today.

The Landline partnership with American Airlines has emerged due to a few different factors. First, many airlines are experiencing staffing shortages with pilots and flight attendants, which means they’ve had to cut back on flights. Some of the first routes to go are usually the flights to smaller airports (since those routes are less profitable than the ones to major airports), which can leave some passengers in a lurch if they need to get to those areas.

American Airlines is hoping that the buses will allow more people to get to those smaller airports and less popular destinations despite the issues with staffing shortages.

In addition, this arrangement can make it easier for people to get to their destination with fewer steps in the planning process. Rather than booking a flight and bus ride separately,  “travelers can book their bus trip through the airline when they set Lehigh Valley or Atlantic City as their origin or destination, according to Landline’s website. The price is included in their ticket.”

Passengers will then check in with American Airlines at their local airport and go through security (just like they were boarding a flight). They’ll get on a bus, enter the terminal once they arrive at the next airport, and find their connecting flight. Baggage can even be checked and transferred between the buses and planes. This way, passengers can have all their travel plans in a single itinerary, and they won’t have to worry as much about the details, like finding the correct bus stop.

Landline’s buses for this partnership will hold a maximum of 35 passengers. They’re equipped with leather seats and free WiFi as well.

Another benefit to the bus system that works in favor of both American Airlines and Landline is that buses are generally much cheaper and more environmentally friendly to operate than planes. A representative from Landline mentioned that they could see American Airlines implementing similar routes at other airports as well.

Landline CEO David Sunde said that this partnership “is really the culmination of many years of deteriorating regional air service to small communities or smaller midsize communities.” In addition, Sunde said, “I think that this is less a statement about right now and more a statement about, ‘Hey, looking 10 years forward, how do we keep communities connected to the air transportation system in a way that’s less vulnerable to crazy things that happen in the world, whether it’s fuel or anything else.”

So your next American Airlines flight to or from Philadelphia could actually be a bus ride! We’ll keep an eye on this developing news and let you know if we see it happening at other airports in the US. Keep following AllEars for more updates that could impact how you travel to Disney World.

Click here to learn about the current mask mandate for airports.

Would you take a bus between airports as part of your travels? Let us know in the comments!