Overview
- A wave of American Airlines customers say itineraries they believed were flights turned out to be Landline motorcoach rides, with a South Bend to O'Hare TikTok drawing more than 13 million views this month.
- American says its website and app flag these legs as premium motorcoach service, display a bus icon, and allow checked bags and AAdvantage miles like a flight connection.
- Travelers report that third-party tools such as Google Flights and employer portals minimize or mislabel the bus leg, and Landline says it is working with partners to make those listings clearer.
- Passengers describe longer trips than a short hop by air, assigned seats on the coach, and premium fares yielding perks like priority boarding on a bus rather than a plane.
- Landline, founded in 2018, partners with American, Air Canada, and Sun Country to link smaller airports to hubs in regions such as Chicago and Philadelphia as an alternative to short regional flights.