It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a….bus????
A Latest York woman who thought she booked an American Airlines flight was flabbergasted after a bus rolled up as an alternative. She detailed this mother of all transit mishaps in a TikTok video with over 2 million views.
“POV: When your American Airlines ‘flight’ is definitely a bus,” user Alex (@she_is.becoming) wrote within the text overlay on the video of her unexpected ride.
The mode of transport was especially confusing as there was a “flight icon” on her boarding pass, she noted within the caption.
Alex explained in a follow-up video that she lives in upstate Latest York and typically departs from Scranton, Pennsylvania, out of convenience. So when the time got here to travel to her friend’s wedding in Colorado, she decided to stick with her routine — Alex used Google Flights to book a flight from there to the Centennial State by means of Philadelphia.
The upstate native then navigated security and arrived at her gate, noting that the flight board showed her American Airlines flight number and an airplane icon, and that travelers boarded in response to their group numbers.
It wasn’t until it got here time for Alex to board that she noticed something was seriously awry. “I have a look at a lady nearby, and I say, ‘Do how long this flight is?’” the flabbergasted traveler said. “And he or she says, ‘Do you mean the bus?’”
That’s when it dawned on her that her plane trip was actually a “two-and-a-half-hour” bus ride from Scranton to Philly.
Alex said she was especially confused as while American Airlines makes it abundantly clear that the journey’s first leg involves a bus, Google Flights is quite a bit more cryptic about it. They simply write “bus” in small text under the airline name sans any giant distinction between the modes of transport.
“I did return through and see if I totally missed something, and I didn’t,” Alex explained. “It shouldn’t be clear on there in any respect.”
“I also just wanna add to that that when you find yourself a web site called Google Flights, I feel it’s pretty reasonable to expect to be flights,” she declared.
American Airlines notes on its website that it’s partners with the Landline Company, a motor coach service that connects Philadelphia Airport with regional flights hubs in Latest Jersey, Philadelphia and Delaware.
Passengers each check their luggage and undergo security on the “bus station,” whereupon their suitcases will probably be transferred from the motor coach to the airplane. Better of all, flyers can earn AAdvantage miles on these terrestrial hauls the identical way they might on plane trips.
While the preternaturally long “flight time” between cities should’ve tipped her off, Alex noted that she’d had a protracted day of travel with three different plane trips, and due to this fact wasn’t within the clearest of headspaces.
Thankfully, she has since learned to see the funny side of her Landline odyssey, which admittedly was more luxurious than she expected — with roomy seats, phone chargers, Wi-Fi and a toilet.
“I assumed it was truthfully hysterical. Like, the whole bus ride, I used to be just laughing,” said Alex. As compensation for her travel fiasco, American Airlines gave her a $75 travel credit, although she claims it’s unlikely that she’ll use it.
In light of the ordeal, Alex is warning other travelers to be extra vigilant and be certain to read the high-quality print while booking trips through third-party web sites.
Commenters were quick to commiserate together with her no-flight plight. “How can they do this?” said one. “Never heard of this…wild.”
“Well, shoot can I actually have the travel credit?” said one other. “These Thanksgiving flights ridiculous.”
Meanwhile, a 3rd observed, “This may occur with any airline. United Newark to Allentown can be a bus. I’ve taken the bus to Philly before and the gate is within the basement and the bus sitting outside can also be a dead giveaway.”
