Are American Airlines bus routes coming to CLT? Here’s what one airline expert says
Charlotte Douglas International Airport’s largest air carrier is launching new — and unusual — routes in the Northeast, with American Airlines using bus routes running from Philadelphia to Atlantic City and the Lehigh Valley starting in June.
American Airlines isn’t alone in turning to buses in lieu of planes. United Airlines is also partnering with bus provider Landline to operate bus routes in Colorado.
American called the new bus routes a “time-saver” for customers, USA Today reported. But the move could also be related to widespread pilot shortages across the country, airline expert Bob Mann told The Charlotte Observer.
American Airlines is not announcing any plans to bring bus services to Charlotte at this time, according to the airline. Mann said it’s unclear if the bus-airline partnership will continue to expand across the country.
But this isn’t the first time U.S. airlines have moved to bus operations, Mann said. Airlines like American offered a few bus routes in the mid-’90s, he said.
Still, if American did decide to unveil bus routes leaving from the Charlotte airport, the routes would likely need to be for a 90-minute door-to-door trip.
And it would likely be a route that American doesn’t currently offer from the Charlotte airport, like the new Philadelphia to Atlantic City route, he added. The Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania is home to Allentown and Bethlehem.
Mann said it would be unlikely for American to convert existing flights in Charlotte into bus route. That’s because American wants to continue attracting new pilots amid the staffing shortage, he said.
Still busy at the airport
Air travel took a hit in the beginning of the COVID pandemic, with a dramatic drop in passenger numbers as the coronavirus hit the U.S.
The Charlotte airport moved closer to a full recovery from the impact of the pandemic with 43 million travelers last year, up from the 27 million passengers who traveled through the airport in 2020.
Still, last year’s passenger number is still below the record-breaking 50.2 million people who traveled to, from and through CLT in 2019, according to the airport.
It’s possible ground travel options have benefited from the drop in air travel, Mann said.
“Amtrak has never been busier,” he said.
But before airlines add any additional bus routes, the businesses will need to see if new bus routes are a success, Mann said.
“It has to be reliable,” he said. “You’ll have people blaming road traffic in addition to air traffic control now. So that’s a new dimension to it.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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