I agree, but I suspect their value must be limited, depending on the circumstances. JAL had a bus that ran from I think it was Fort Lee, NJ, to JFK but they ended the service near the start of the year. But I expect the demographics were very different. My understanding is that Fort Lee is highly Asian but also highly affluent. Union, Paterson, and Elizabeth, not so much. I have also heard of some other ones. I remember Santa Barbara Airlines set up a similar bus trip, but I don't remember where or why.

The language of the press release reads, "Passengers simply make a reservation with their travel professional or by calling LAN at (1 866) 435 9526, arrive at the bus station according to the following schedules, and present their LAN airline ticket or e-ticket for same day departure." It's a free service that runs only once a day for any given flight. In other words, it appears if you are on a LA or XL flight, you take a specific bus that services that particular flight.

It will be interesting to see if it works the way they want it to. Realisically, I am sure one more ticket sold per day due to the bus justifies the cost. With Varig potentially going under, it's a good way to get more Latino pax in Union, Essex, and Passaic onto Lan Chile and its progenies. Maybe if it works, we will see more of it. Maybe New Brunswick to JFK or Sylmar/San Fernando to LAX or similar.