American Airlines has 77 regional planes sitting in storage because they can't find pilots to fly them. The

[riversedge]

Watch what you are buying folks!!



Aakash Gupta @aakashgupta
·
16h
American Airlines has 77 regional planes sitting in storage because they can't find pilots to fly them. The expected U.S. pilot shortfall in 2026 is 24,000. Training a new commercial pilot takes 2-3 years minimum and costs six figures.

So American found a loophole. Partner with a bus company, brand the bus "American Eagle," sell the seat on http://aa.com with a flight number, route passengers through TSA, let them pick a seat, check bags, earn AAdvantage miles. The entire experience is designed to feel like a flight in every way except the part where you leave the ground.

The economics are staggering. A regional jet on a 90-mile route needs two pilots ($100K+ each), a flight attendant, jet fuel, FAA maintenance requirements, and an aircraft that costs $20-30 million. The Landline bus needs one driver and a highway.

South Bend to Chicago O'Hare is 90 miles. That route doesn't make money with a regional jet anymore. It barely made money before the pilot shortage. The bus lets American keep selling connections through O'Hare to every destination in its network without operating a single flight.

This is what the pilot shortage actually looks like. Not cancelled routes. Not smaller airports going dark. The airline just quietly reclassified a bus as a flight and kept charging accordingly. The TikTok exposing it has 13 million views because the passenger cleared security, sat at a gate, and watched her luggage get loaded onto a coach before it merged onto the interstate.

The word "bus" appears once during booking in small text. Google Flights lists it with a tiny bus icon. The airline says customers are "transparently informed." 72% of U.S. airports have already lost an average of 25% of their flights to the shortage, and Landline is expanding, not shrinking. Philadelphia, Chicago, and now five regional airports are on the bus network.

American Airlines is solving a $28,000-per-pilot-shortfall crisis by removing the pilot from the equation entirely. The bus is the product now. The flight number is just packaging.
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[Ocelot II]

1. The bus is probably more comfortable, though.

[Kid Berwyn]

3. Prevost are Volvo

So likely safe, too.

[Prairie Gates]

2. This plane story tells me that we missed the boat on investing in trains

[tanyev]

4. +1. And one big reason was incessant lobbying against it by the airlines.

[drray23]

5. Why would anybody fly for 90 miles?

Given how long it takes to get through the airport lines, etc.. this seems ridiculous.
I agree with the previous poster that this is a clear sign that one should modernize and expand the railway system. Trains are perfect for transporting many people efficiently over these medium distances.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

6. If you're flying for 90 miles, you're almost certainly not flying for just 90 miles.

You're either starting at a small regional airport, flying to a larger one to connect somewhere -- in which case, your security lines will be very manageable -- or you're on your last leg home, and so are already in the system.