American Airlines is about to fly people at much lower altitudes.
Driving the news: The airline announced Thursday that it will offer bus service to several smaller regional destinations from its Philadelphia hub.
- Land Line transportation service provides travel within a 50- to 70-mile radius to and from Allentown/Bethlehem, Pennsylvania airports; Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania; and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The big picture: Airlines are facing pilot shortages and rising jet fuel prices, compounding logistical and economic challenges that have caused the industry to scrap many flights from pre-pandemic schedules.
- Only about 80% of the flights offered in 2019 would still be operating in 2021, the Washington Post reported.
- These trends have taken an outsized toll on smaller regional airports as airlines focus resources on their most profitable routes (the routes with the most seats).
How it works: American Airlines passengers arriving on a connecting bus at Philadelphia Airport disembark, enter the terminal, and find the gate where their bus is scheduled to depart.
- Conversely, passengers traveling to Philadelphia first clear security at their local airport and then board a bus en route to the Philadelphia terminal.
- Think of it as a “bus-than-plane connection,” Airline Weekly reported.
Remarkable: Other airlines have already introduced the system.
- United Airlines has been using buses to connect passengers from its Denver hub to regional locations since last year.