On Sun Country, your connection could end up being on a bus
Are airline passengers willing to consider buses for a seamless one-stop itinerary from smaller markets?
That's what one start-up company is betting on. A company called Landline wants to connect travelers from small communities around the country to flights at hub airports.
Touting itself as a "regional mobility company" operating "premium motor coaches" — in other words, a bus operator — Landline will launch its first airline partnership with Sun Country Airlines in November. The firm's buses will connect the leisure carrier's Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) hub with the Duluth (DLH) and Mankato (MKT) airports in Minnesota.
Landline plans to operate the routes as a regional airline would, a Sun Country Express so-to-speak, just with buses instead of planes, the company's CEO David Sunde explained to Skift last month.
"With consolidation and the pilot shortage and the lack of really any aircraft development in the sub-60-seat sector, there is not a proper way to source this mission if you are in an airline," he said.
Sun Country will sell tickets for the segments operated by Landline on its website, allowing customers to book an itinerary just as if they were booking one with a connecting flight. Passengers will check in and drop off bags at the Duluth or Mankato airports and then transfer between buses and flights at Minneapolis/St. Paul much as they would if they were flying, except that they will have to clear security at MSP.
"We are excited to partner with Landline to make our low fares and comfortable onboard experience available to more Minnesotans," Jude Bricker, CEO of Sun Country, said in a statement.
The trip from Duluth to Sun Country's home in Terminal 2 at Minneapolis/St. Paul airport is 162 miles, and from Mankato is 73 miles, according to Google Maps. Landline schedules the former at up to three hours and 20 minutes, and the latter at up to two hours.
Delta Air Lines flies between Duluth and Minneapolis with flights blocked at roughly one hour and 10 minutes, according to Diio by Cirium schedules.
No carrier has flown between Mankato and Minneapolis since 2004, Diio data shows. According to the Airline Maps blog, former Republic Airlines served the route in 1979 but had dropped the service by 1983. Republic merged with Northwest Airlines in 1986, and Northwest with Delta in 2008.
Bus-airline connections on regional routes are not a new idea. United Airlines offers a bus between its Newark (EWR) hub and Allentown, Pennsylvania, a trip of about 80 miles. AirTran Airways, America West Airlines and Frontier Airlines also have all previously contracted with bus operators to connect their hubs to nearby small communities.
The question remains whether people will take to Landline's new services. Buses, while an economic way to connect a hub airport with smaller communities, are subject to traffic and other conditions that a flight may be able to avoid.
Airlines have by-and-large gotten out of the bus business. As Skift pointed out, Continental Airlines exited many of its connecting bus routes in the late 1990s with a spokesperson telling The New York Times that the carrier did "not want to be in the bus business."
"It's been tried before," J.P. Morgan analyst Jamie Baker said recently of the bus-airline connection concept, according to Air Transport World. "It didn't work."
What does work are bus operators that serve airports — independent of airlines. For example, there is a robust network of bus routes connecting Boston Logan (BOS) to points in New England, including Cape Cod, New Hampshire and Maine.
Vote for TPG UK's four-class British Airways review in this year's Lovie Awards!
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.