American Airlines and Landline: Pioneering Airside-to-Airside Intermodal Connectivity in North America

A Landline-American Airlines coach airside at Philadelphia International Airport

Key Takeaways

• American Airlines and Landline have created the industry's first TSA-approved airside-to-airside bus connection, allowing passengers to clear security once at their origin airport

• The partnership addresses critical industry challenges, including pilot shortages, network optimization, and environmental sustainability

• The service reduces carbon emissions by 90-95% compared to regional flights while maintaining seamless connectivity to smaller markets

• Passenger experience benefits include reduced connection complexity, single security screening, and full loyalty program integration

• Implementation requires careful planning, including security integration, IT systems development, and addressing passenger perception challenges

Intermodal connectivity continues to reshape the aviation landscape, as explored in our recent articles about the strategic importance of intermodal transportation and Air France-KLM's innovative Train+Air program. This third article in our series examines American Airlines' groundbreaking partnership with Landline. This collaboration adapts intermodal concepts to the unique infrastructure landscape of North America through an innovative bus connection model.

While European carriers have leveraged extensive rail networks for intermodal integration, American Airlines has pioneered an alternative approach that achieves comparable strategic benefits through motorcoach connections. Most significantly, their industry-first airside-to-airside security integration establishes a new benchmark for seamless intermodal travel in markets without developed rail infrastructure. 

This comprehensive case study analyzes this partnership's operational architecture, strategic advantages, and future implications. For aviation executives, the American Airlines-Landline model demonstrates how intermodal principles can be successfully adapted to diverse infrastructure environments while addressing critical industry challenges, including pilot shortages, network optimization, and environmental sustainability. 

Partnership Evolution and Development

American Airlines formalized its strategic alliance with Landline in April 2022, becoming the third major carrier to collaborate with the transportation platform. This partnership coincided with Landline's $28 million funding round, which supported geographic expansion and platform innovation, positioning both companies for accelerated growth in the intermodal space. 

The service launched operationally on June 3, 2022, connecting American's Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) hub with Allentown/Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (ABE), and Atlantic City, New Jersey (ACY). This implementation represented a strategic enhancement of American's Philadelphia hub, strengthening its position as a premier trans-Atlantic gateway. 

Landline bus segment in American Airlines booking system

Strategic Context

The partnership emerged during a period of converging industry pressures that demanded innovative network solutions: 

1. An accelerating pilot shortage severely constrained regional operations 

2. Environmental sustainability requirements intensified across the industry 

3. Network optimization became increasingly critical for financial performance

Landline's business model gave American Airlines a strategic mechanism to maintain and expand network connectivity without deploying aircraft on shorter routes. This approach directly addressed the carrier's operational challenges while supporting broader network optimization objectives. 

Service Evolution

The partnership achieved a transformative milestone in July 2023 with the industry's first TSA approval for airside-to-airside operations. This security integration enables a fundamentally different passenger experience: 

1. Passengers complete TSA screening at their local airport (ABE or ACY) 

2. Board a Landline coach directly from the secure area 

3. Arrive at Philadelphia's secure terminal area without requiring additional screening 

   
   

This security integration represents a groundbreaking advancement in intermodal transportation, establishing a new benchmark for seamless connectivity. Since July 2023, the service has completed approximately 14,000 secure-to-secure operations, providing access to hundreds of domestic and international flights at PHL and offering approximately 500,000 seats per year of feed capacity into the Philadelphia hub. 

Landline operates motorcoaches with leather seating, Wi-Fi, power outlets, and entertainment options. The vehicles feature a 2x1 seating configuration with 35-36 seats and a 36-inch pitch, providing more space than typical bus transportation and even that of a regional aircraft. 

Operational Model

The American Airlines-Landline partnership functions through a comprehensively integrated model extending American's flight network. This integration spans all customer touchpoints, creating a unified journey experience indistinguishable from traditional air connections.

Booking and Ticketing Integration

The Landline connection appears within American's reservation system as a standard flight segment with an AA flight number. Passengers book their entire journey through American's established channels, with the connection displayed as "Operated by The Landline Company." Key strategic benefits include:

• Single-transaction booking with automatic rebooking protection 

• Full AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points accrual on bus segments 

• Integrated check-in process  

  
  

Passenger Journey Architecture

For passengers originating at regional airports, the journey eliminates traditional intermodal connection friction points: 

1. Single security screening at the regional airport 

2. Direct boarding from the secure area with assigned seating 

3. Arrival at PHL's secure terminal without additional screening 

4. Immediate access to connecting gates 

5. Baggage is transferred onto the connecting flight 

   
   

TSA checkpoint at ABE enabling airside-to-airside connections

The process maintains similar integration for passengers returning to regional airports, with bags checked through to final destinations and seamless connections at PHL. 

This model creates a unified journey under American's operational umbrella, with consistent service standards throughout the passenger experience. 

Network Integration 

Since its 2022 launch, the partnership has strategically expanded to include Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AVP) and Wilmington (ILG), reinforcing American's Philadelphia hub as a premier trans-Atlantic gateway. The schedule coordination between American Airlines' branded Landline vehicles and the airline's flight network ensures optimal connection times, maximizing hub efficiency while delivering a seamless experience for connecting passengers. 

Comparison with Traditional Flight Connections 

The American Airlines-Landline partnership offers all the advantages of a flight-flight connection, with the sole difference that the Landline motorcoaches do not have cabin attendants or food and beverages available. 

Operational Resilience 

The intermodal model also offers enhanced operational resilience compared to traditional connections. Ground transportation can often operate in weather conditions restricting regional aircraft operations, providing greater connection reliability. Additionally, the model reduces the impact of air traffic control delays and congestion on short-haul segments, improving overall network performance. 

Stakeholder Benefits Analysis 

The American Airlines-Landline partnership delivers significant strategic advantages to multiple stakeholders across the transportation ecosystem. 

Passenger Benefits

The intermodal model creates several passenger experience advantages: 

• New or expanded travel options from regional airports 

• Comfortable ground transportation alternative to short regional flights 

• Loyalty program continuity, including AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points 

• Simplified baggage handling with through-checking to final destination 

• Potentially greater schedule reliability in adverse weather conditions 

Landline's premium motorcoach interior rivals regional aircraft comfort.

Airline Strategic Advantages 

For American Airlines, the partnership delivers multiple strategic benefits: 

• Cost-effective network expansion without deploying aircraft on shorter routes 

• Enhanced connectivity to smaller markets without aircraft resource requirements 

• Expansion of the hub airport catchment area 

• Direct addressing of pilot shortage challenges for regional routes 

• Valuable slot preservation at PHL for more profitable medium and long-haul routes 

• Environmental impact reduction supporting sustainability commitments 

• Differentiated product offerings in competitive markets 

Airport Benefits 

Participating airports gain significant advantages: 

• Increased connectivity for smaller regional airports to global networks 

• Enhanced passenger volumes supporting airport financial performance 

• Reduced congestion at Philadelphia International Airport 

• Improved utilization of airport facilities and infrastructure 

• Potential for increased non-aeronautical revenue through higher passenger traffic 

Community Economic Impact 

The broader economic ecosystem benefits through: 

• Enhanced economic development opportunities for smaller cities 

• Improved accessibility to global air travel networks 

• Potential reduction in road congestion and emissions 

• Preservation of connectivity for communities that might otherwise lose air service 

Key Success Factors 

Several elements have contributed to the success of the American Airlines-

Landline partnership: 

1. Security Integration: TSA approval enabled seamless airside operations, removing a major pain point for connecting passengers. 

2. Premium Experience: High-quality motorcoach amenities enhance passenger satisfaction and differentiate from traditional bus services. 

3. Strategic Route Selection: Focus on short-haul routes (under 150 miles) where bus travel times are competitive with the total air journey time, including security. 

4. Digital Integration: Landline's use of an airline PSS system facilitates full integration with individual airline distribution systems and the GDS, ensuring ease of use and a consistent passenger experience. Landline can also serve as a pure operating platform, with inventory hosted entirely in the respective airline’s PSS system.  

5. Airline-Style Operations: Landline operates more like an airline than a traditional bus company, with airline-grade safety, security, and operational standards.

   
   

“We’re not a bus company—we’re an airline that happens to use motorcoaches. The future is networks that transcend modes.” Nicholas Johnson, Vice President and Head of Revenue at Landline

This philosophy, validated by 14,000+ successful airside operations, positions Landline as a template for global aviation’s multimodal evolution.

Comparison with Other Landline Partnerships 

While American Airlines' implementation with Landline represents the most advanced integration model, Landline maintains partnerships with several other carriers, each with distinct characteristics: 

• United Airlines (2021): Connects Denver International Airport with Fort Collins, as well as Newark to Allentown (ABE). United's implementation lacks assigned seating and airside-to-airside security integration but offers a branded bus, full baggage transfer, and loyalty integration. 

• Sun Country Airlines: Landline's first airline partner, which operates under a more traditional intermodal model without secure-to-secure integration or branding of the coaches. 

• Air Canada (2023): Connects Toronto Pearson International Airport with regional markets, demonstrating international expansion of the Landline model. While offering through-checked baggage capabilities, it does not provide the same advantages to passengers as the American Airlines model. 

Air Canada's intermodal bus-aircraft integration at Toronto Pearson

American Airlines' partnership stands out due to its industry-first TSA approval for secure-to-secure connections, establishing a new benchmark for seamless intermodal travel in North America. 

Comparison with European Intermodal Models 

The American Airlines-Landline partnership represents a distinctly North American adaptation of intermodal principles that have evolved differently in Europe due to variations in infrastructure. 

Infrastructure Context Differences 

European intermodal models, such as Air France-KLM's Train+Air program, leverage extensive high-speed rail networks that connect directly to major airports. These rail systems benefit from: 

• Decades of public investment in rail infrastructure 

• Direct rail connections to airport terminals 

• High-speed capabilities reduce journey times 

• Established security protocols for rail travel 

North America's transportation landscape features: 

• Limited passenger rail infrastructure, particularly high-speed rail 

• Extensive highway networks suitable for coach operations 

• Greater distances between population centers 

• Different regulatory frameworks for transportation security 

The American Airlines-Landline model demonstrates how intermodal principles can successfully adapt to these different infrastructure realities while achieving comparable strategic benefits. 

Integration Approach Comparison 

While European models typically focus on rail-air integration, the American Airlines-Landline partnership achieves similar outcomes through coach-air integration. The security innovation of airside-to-airside access represents a significant advancement that addresses a key friction point in intermodal travel, potentially offering lessons for European implementations. 

Future Implications and Expansion Potential 

The success of the American Airlines-Landline partnership opens several strategic pathways for the future of intermodal transportation in North America and beyond. 

Network Expansion Opportunities 

A logical expansion would be to include more regional markets in the existing operation.  However, the success is not limited to the American Airlines Philadelphia hub; the model demonstrates clear potential for expansion to other hubs, particularly those serving as international gateways, including those of different airlines.  

Beyond Airport-to-Airport Connections 

American Airlines and Landline have demonstrated that coaches can effectively replace aircraft between airports. Since a bus does not require a runway, this model can be expanded to include non-airport locations. Here, one could imagine adding a city center, railway, or even major tourist destinations or resorts to be served by this intermodal format. Moving beyond airports, however, also requires developing and approving non-airport secure areas and security checkpoints, adding cost and complexity to this expansion.    

Industry Implications 

The American Airlines-Landline partnership carries significant implications for regional air service and the broader airline industry: 

• Potential acceleration of the shift from 50-seat regional jets to intermodal connections 

• New strategic options for maintaining small community air service 

• Evolution of hub connectivity models to incorporate diverse transportation modes 

• Potential regulatory frameworks specifically addressing intermodal security integration 

Environmental Impact 

The partnership delivers substantial environmental benefits that align with industry sustainability commitments: 

• Potential for 90-95% carbon emissions reduction compared to regional flights 

• Reduced noise pollution around hub airports 

• Decreased congestion on airport access roads 

• Support for airlines' broader environmental sustainability goals 

Implementation Considerations 

While the American Airlines-Landline partnership demonstrates significant advantages, aviation executives should consider several implementation factors when evaluating similar models: 

• Security integration complexity: Obtaining regulatory approval for airside-to-airside operations required extensive collaboration between multiple stakeholders, including airlines, airports, and regulators. 

• Passenger perception challenges: Overcoming preconceived notions about bus transportation, where many associate buses with lower-quality service rather than premium transportation. 

• IT systems integration: Ensuring seamless integration with airline reservation systems, including proper inventory management, rebooking protection, and loyalty program accrual. 

• Operational staff requirements: Drivers and staff require specialized training, security clearances, and qualifications more akin to airline personnel than traditional bus operators. 

• Market selection criteria: Identifying appropriate routes (typically 1-2 hours driving distance from hubs) where frequency reductions have created a "death spiral" of service. 

• Regulatory approval processes: Working with government regulators requires a phased approach, starting with smaller pilot programs before expanding operations. 

These considerations highlight that successful intermodal implementation requires careful planning and market-specific analysis rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The strategic benefits must be evaluated against operational realities for each potential market and hub configuration. 

Conclusion 

The American Airlines-Landline partnership represents a strategic innovation in intermodal connectivity for the North American market. By seamlessly integrating coach transportation into the air travel experience through groundbreaking security integration, this collaboration addresses key industry challenges while enhancing the passenger journey. 

For aviation executives, this case study illustrates how intermodal principles can be effectively applied to diverse infrastructure environments. The partnership demonstrates that the strategic benefits of intermodal connectivity—including network optimization, enhanced hub efficiency, and environmental sustainability—can be achieved even in markets without a well-developed rail infrastructure. 

As the transportation landscape continues to evolve, partnerships like those between American Airlines and Landline will increasingly shape the future of regional connectivity. Airlines that successfully implement intermodal strategies will position themselves at the center of integrated mobility ecosystems, while those that remain focused solely on airport-to-airport transportation risk progressive marginalization in an evolving competitive environment. 

This perspective is part of Air52's ongoing analysis of industry developments and strategic trends.