American Airlines added to Lancaster, PA to its unique program of using motorcoach buses to feed passengers into its hub at Philadephia International Airport.
As noted earlier in this occasional column, the company is using buses from Landline, a start-up company.
Beginning on Friday passengers from Allentown and Atlantic City can check in at their respective airports, check their bags, and clear security. The Landline bus with American Airlines livery has amenities that include leather seats, power plugs, and WiFi, takes passengers to Philadelphia. The Lancaster service begins in early August.
Passengers earn AA’s frequent flyer miles and don’t have to deal with driving, parking or relying on cousin Mike to drop them off.
Landline has partnered with Twin Cities-based Sun Country to offer the service from small cities in Minnesota. Sun Country offers a Twin Cities flight from Philadelphia minus bus service
Landline also works with United Airlines in getting passengers to and from Denver to ski towns and distant suburbs.
If Landline service catches on, it could help airlines deal with high fuel prices and a fight crew shortage that has reduced service to smaller cities.
With Frontier Airlines pulling out of New Castle Airport, the bus service would seem to be a no-brainer. Sadly, the system works at airports that already have airline service and TSA screening staff on hand. The New Castle location is too close to PHL to allow the airport to receive subsidies that keep air service afloat in burgs like Lancaster.
Shareholder advisory group advises against a vote for Frontier-Spirit merger
The planned merger of Spirit and Frontier Airlines may have hit a snag.
An influential shareholder advisory group says a competing offer from Jet Blue is a better deal for Spirit shareholders, CNBC and other outlets reported.
Spirit executives say linking up wth Frontier will be a better value for shareholders in the long run.
Frontier could wrap up the merger with a higher offer, but may not want to overpay for Spirit and dent its stock price.
Both Frontier and Spirit share similar operating styles with low base fares and charges for everything from snacks to luggage stowed in overhead compartments.
Jet Blue operates a more conventional airline model and is likely to gradually integrate Spirits jet fleet and staff into the Jet Blue model.
Frontier and Spirit argue that the merger would create more competition in the industry. That argument may ring hollow in some markets, like Philadelphia, where both carriers duke it out in luring passengers to their jets.
Frontier is once again abandoning service from Wilmington-New Castle, with airport officials placing some of the blame on the merger effort with Spirit.
Final notes
At Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport, Air Canada has resumed service after a Covid-19-related hiatus. The Canadian airline also flies in and out of Philadelphia International Airport.
Also at BWI, start-up carrier Avelo Airlines launched a service with a flight to New Haven CT – its East Coast Hub.
Avelo earlier announced it would add further service this summer, adding flights between BWI Marshall and two additional markets — Orlando, (June 30) and Wilmington, NC (July 1).
Avelo is staying away from fortress hubs like the one American operates in Philadelphia. While Southwest Airlines has the bulk of the flights out of BWI, it does not fly to New Haven or Wilmington.
Avelo joins startup “Play,” which operates flights to Iceland. Budget German airline Condor also resumed flights out of BWI.
