Blindsided by a Bus: American Airlines’ Lesser-Known Landline Service
Passengers of American Airlines were caught off guard when they boarded a company-branded bus instead of a plane after selecting seats and clearing security. Kennedy Woodard-Jones, 27, was one of these passengers who went through TSA and lined up at her gate in South Bend, Indiana, expecting a flight to Chicago O’Hare. However, she noticed workers loading luggage beneath a parked coach bus and assumed it was meant to shuttle passengers to the aircraft. Only when the bus rolled off the tarmac and onto the open road did she realize that this was her flight.
Woodard-Jones had unknowingly reserved a bus ride, just like a flight, and didn’t question it because her confirmation included a flight number. She is among dozens of other passengers who were also surprised to learn they were traveling to their final destination via American Airlines’ lesser-known Landline service. Introduced in 2018, the Landline Company is described as a “premium motor coach experience” that replaces short regional flights with bus connections. The buses run routes connecting Philadelphia with five smaller airports in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, and will soon include Chicago O’Hare and Rockford, Illinois, and South Bend.
According to Landline CEO David Sunde, the service aims to save customers time and money while providing a high-quality travel experience. However, many travelers were caught off guard by the switch from a flight to a bus, especially those booking through third-party sites or corporate tools. Woodard-Jones captured the early moments of her unexpected trip in a viral TikTok video, showing the bus interior with two seats on each side of the aisle and small televisions displaying the American Airlines logo. Other passengers, like Shawnte Crossley, 30, and Patrick Keogan, 49, also expressed surprise and confusion when they found themselves on a bus instead of a plane.
Crossley, who was traveling with her family for a yearly girls’ trip, thought it was odd to have Philadelphia as a layover but assumed the bus would take them to the aircraft. Similarly, Keogan had booked a first-class trip to Las Vegas through a third-party site and only realized afterward that his ticket was for the bus, not the plane. He expressed frustration with American Airlines, questioning the legality of selling first-class tickets that require hours on the road.
The Landline Company works with American Airlines, Air Canada, and Sun Country Airlines to take travelers from small communities to major hubs once served by small planes. In a statement, American Airlines stated that they have “transparently displayed any services operated in partnership with Landline” on their website during the booking process. However, some passengers feel that the bus leg of their journey was not obvious, and they were not aware of the service until they boarded the bus.