AA PHL-ABE/ACY (and others) bus services
Jun 2, 22, 6:46 pm
#106
Join Date: Feb 2006
Programs: HH Silver, MR Plat Prem & LT Plat, Hyatt Plat,SPG Plat, Hertz PC, National EE, UA 1K
Posts: 3,380
This STINKS. The reason i dont use the UA bus to EWR from ABE is mostly because of the non-airside dropoff. Imagine getting stuck on the Blue Route to find out your 1hour connection is now 22 min and security is 45 min???? No thanks!
Jun 3, 22, 2:55 pm
#107
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, AA ExecPlat, Amtrak Select Exec, former WN apologist
Posts: 1,055
Local news did a story/ad on this service yesterday. It was the first I have seen of the actual buses - they are AA-branded, look nice, and have 2x1 seating so presumably they are pretty roomy. Still can't see myself using it, but it does seem like they are trying to make it an upscale experience (or at least more upscale than American Eagle). As TPG reported, they also noted airside connections won't be available "for the first few weeks".
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/20...port-landline/
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/20...port-landline/
Jun 9, 22, 1:47 pm
#108
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 360
Originally Posted by bridge29
Well, I would assume most people aren't booking LNS-PHL. They're booking LNS-PHL-ORD, etc. Lancaster is a pretty huge draw, and while most of the tourism is drive-in, it's got its own population base that it could serve with a more direct connection (even if it's via bus).
If AA wants this to be successful, they need to price it competitively. Thursdays in September are pricing at over $400 one way for the bus route option. Going the Southern Airways route it is half that price.
If AA wants this to be successful, they need to price it competitively. Thursdays in September are pricing at over $400 one way for the bus route option. Going the Southern Airways route it is half that price.
That being said for AA and this bus, if somebody is doing a ORD-PHL-LNS or vice versa, there is a back track, and I'd wonder the benefit. Plus those in central PA tend to look at BWI (for domestic) / IAD (for international) and willing to drive there.
I was doing some price checking , and noticed AA is charging PHX-PHL for $430 one way nonstop, in early November. A PHX-PHL-ACY is $195 with the same PHX-PHL nonstop segment. A roundtrip using nonstops with a weekend stay on PHL-PHX, PHX-PHL is still priced high relatively on AA. It might be worth it to check it for other pairs where nonstops out of PHL are priced high.
Last edited by beyondhere; Jun 9, 22 at 1:56 pm
Jun 9, 22, 10:32 pm
#109
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: ORD / MDW / FLL
Programs: DL DM/1MM, AA EXP, SPG Platinum, Hyatt Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 2,271
Originally Posted by beyondhere
A plus is LNS is in a nice area. Perhaps Frontier could give it a run with nonstops to Florida, and if marketed, hope some from western fringes of PHL area like Exton/Downingtown could try LNS to increase potential users (although Frontier has service in MDT). The Lancaster Amtrak station is 5.1 miles from LNS.
1. LNS is only 40 min from MDT...a very underutilized airport with great infrastructure
2. G4 flies from MDT to every major FL beach / family destination with the exception of MIA, EYW and JAX
3. F9's MDT-MCO service has dropped to seasonal
4. F9 already has large ops at PHL and TTN...both easy to get to from the western Philly suburbs and offer multiple destinations
5. The Lancaster Amtrak station is 5.1 miles of traffic lights from LNS. Can be as much as 30 min drive in rush hour
I'll never say never, but I'd be surprised.
Jun 13, 22, 4:52 am
#110
Join Date: May 1998
Location: australia
Posts: 5,600
If you're a tourist interested in going to Atlantic City then it looks like you'll be up for a $40+ Uber trip from ACY as the Jitney website has this wonderful news :
If however you are holidaying in Egg Harbour, you're laughing
NOTICE: AC AIRPORT SHUTTLE SERVICE HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED
If however you are holidaying in Egg Harbour, you're laughing
Jun 22, 22, 1:41 pm
#111
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: AVL
Programs: Hhonors Diamond, Bonvoy LT Plat, TSA vilifier extraordinaire, Once upon a time... US Silver, AA Gold
Posts: 1,245
Anyone done this yet? Thinking of booking a "flight" into and out of ACY and wondering about the TSA procedure. I know they say you go through in ACY - is this in fact how it worked, and not in PHL? Appreciate hearing anyone's experience.
Jun 24, 22, 9:15 pm
#112
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: (PHL) Cape May, NJ
Programs: MVP Gold 75K, Board Room, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 2,439
Originally Posted by dwcatty
Anyone done this yet? Thinking of booking a "flight" into and out of ACY and wondering about the TSA procedure. I know they say you go through in ACY - is this in fact how it worked, and not in PHL? Appreciate hearing anyone's experience.
I did, by chance, speak with the ACY airport director earlier this month. There is still no real fixed timeline for when this arrangement will be completed. He has heard everything from a few weeks to a few months, but perhaps about a month. I would guess by the end of the summer? It's surprising how much in the dark the airline and airport are.
Even without TSA, the service is great. Here is a bit of a rambling brain dump of the experience:
Airport displays show the "flight" with a gate as "CURB" right now, next to a bunch of Spirit flights departing to more exotic locations, such as Puerto Rico.
On check in, you get a seat assignment, even though there is no real seat map you can select from. I was even able to pull up the "flight" in FlightStats, complete with runway departure times and arrival times. THEY EVEN LOADED THE BUS NUMBER IN AS THE TAIL NUMBER. I nearly lost it when i was scrolling through this. American takes this bus VERY seriously.
You check your bags at an American ticket counter. They even have a dedicated premium line. A bit overkill right now since we had 9 pax on our bus. They even gave me a printed ticket for boarding. We also threw them an entire loop because we had a lap child and they absolutely had no idea what to do. Maybe some kinks to work out? What was hilarious is that there were at least 1-2 pax who thought it was an actual plan, and dismayed/upset it was a bus. I kid you not. As if they would be flying some plane 50 miles to Philly.
Once you check your bags (and YES -- there is a bag cut off) you hang out in the ticketing area (there's seating by the bar). Eventually an American motor coach pulls up and they announce the "flight" from Philadelphia has arrived and will be departing shortly back to Philadelphia. You follow one of the ticket agents out to the bus. I counted about 12 people departing the bus and arriving into ACY.
Up until the last minute, they had no idea if we were going to gate check (not a joke) the car seat and hold the infant in our lap or not. They put a gate check tag on the carseat. Like really? Did it really need one if it couldn't go on the bus? The car seat did buckle in just fine.
The bus features reclining leather seats, tray tables, in seat power (AC and USB), as well as a video display system above that was showing some default player. There is a lav in the back. There does appear to be a place in the back where catering can be stowed, but there were no inflight drinks. There is no FA.
They DID have a safety announcement, indicating where the exits were, first aid kit, etc.
It was a great start to the trip, which ended up to be a disaster as we were stuck on the plane for 6 hours due to a ground stop. We did, eventually, make it to our DFW destination.
Jun 25, 22, 12:33 pm
#113
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, AA ExecPlat, Amtrak Select Exec, former WN apologist
Posts: 1,055
Originally Posted by maokh
What was hilarious is that there were at least 1-2 pax who thought it was an actual plan, and dismayed/upset it was a bus. I kid you not. As if they would be flying some plane 50 miles to Philly.
Jun 25, 22, 1:31 pm
#114
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 26,504
Originally Posted by maokh
What was hilarious is that there were at least 1-2 pax who thought it was an actual plan, and dismayed/upset it was a bus. I kid you not. As if they would be flying some plane 50 miles to Philly.
As noted, airlines have flown very short routes with actual planes in the past. AL/US used to operate mainline aircraft (DC-9's) from ITH to ELM -- a whopping 32 statute miles -- as part of its PIT-ITH-ELM-PIT triangle route.
Jun 25, 22, 1:36 pm
#115
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 26,504
Originally Posted by Mr. BoH
It's not that crazy. US Air used to fly PHL-ACY on little puddlejumpers back in the day. And I don't think it is crazy for a layperson to expect that buying a ticket from American means a plane rather than a bus.
Jun 25, 22, 3:10 pm
#116
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,067
Originally Posted by maokh
What was hilarious is that there were at least 1-2 pax who thought it was an actual plan, and dismayed/upset it was a bus. I kid you not. As if they would be flying some plane 50 miles to Philly.
Originally Posted by Mr. BoH
It's not that crazy. US Air used to fly PHL-ACY on little puddlejumpers back in the day. And I don't think it is crazy for a layperson to expect that buying a ticket from American means a plane rather than a bus.
Jun 26, 22, 4:06 pm
#117
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SAT
Programs: Marriott Titanium, Hilton and Wyndham Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Delta Plat, United Silver, Hertz PC
Posts: 553
Trying this out from ACY on Friday and returning on Monday. No checked luggage, so I'm going to go ahead of time to see when I need to be there. Funny thing is it the "flight" numbers are 6353 from ACY to PHL and 6356 from PHL to ACY. I have gmail, and on my email where Google lists the flight at the top, it shows 6353 as a LHR-PRG flight and 6356 as an AMS-LHR flight. I guess those are AA codeshare flights with BA. Though the flight times really screwed with Google.
Sep 25, 22, 1:00 pm
#120
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,067
Originally Posted by ysolde
So the answer is now sort of. AA has started a bus service from PHL to ACY:
