‘Going Through TSA For A Bus That’s Insane’: Woman Thinks She Books An American Airlines ‘Flight’ To New Jersey. Then A Bus Rolls Up

You arrive at the airport, check in, go through security, and wait at your gate like always. The flight board shows your airline, flight number, and a little airplane icon.

But when it’s time to board, you’re led outside to something unexpected. This traveler’s viral video now has passengers everywhere double-checking their boarding passes.

Woman Books Flight, Gets This Instead

In a viral video with more than 1.2 million views, Alex (@she_is.becoming) shared her shock at discovering what her American Airlines “flight” actually was.

“POV: When your American Airlines ‘flight’ is actually a bus,” the text overlay on her video reads.

“There’s literally a [flight icon] on my boarding pass,” she wrote in the caption.

In a follow-up video, Alex explains that she lives in upstate New York and typically flies out of Scranton Airport, which is closest to her.

She was heading to a friend’s wedding in Colorado and had booked her trip through Google Flights. After going through security and arriving at her gate, everything seemed normal. The flight board displayed her American Airlines flight number with a plane icon, and boarding began with the usual group number announcements.

“I look at a woman nearby, and I say, ‘Do you know how long this flight is?'” Alex says in a follow-up video. “And she says, ‘Do you mean the bus?'”

That’s when Alex realized she wasn’t getting on a plane. Instead, passengers were led outside to board a bus for what was supposed to be a flight from Scranton to Philadelphia.

“So my flight to Philadelphia was actually a two-and-a-half hour bus ride,” she explains in the video.

How This Happens When Booking Flights

Alex went back through her booking details to see if she had missed something obvious. She discovered that while American Airlines’ website makes it very clear when a leg of the journey involves a bus—specifically noting it as a “luxury bus”—third-party booking sites like Google Flights are far less transparent.

“I booked this trip on Google Flights, and I didn’t pay super close attention to stuff. I did go back through and see if I totally missed something, and I didn’t. There it is not clear on there at all,” she says in the video.

When booking through Google Flights, the bus segment appears alongside actual flights with minimal distinction. The listing shows “bus” in small text under the carrier name, but there’s no prominent notice alerting travelers that they’ll be boarding ground transportation instead of an aircraft.

Alex admits the flight time should have been a giveaway—a 30-minute “flight” between cities only two and a half hours apart by car—but she had a long day of travel with three total legs and wasn’t scrutinizing every detail.

“I looked at the start and the end and said, ‘Good enough,'” she explains. ”

I also just wanna add to that that when you are looking at a website called Google Flights, I think it’s pretty reasonable to expect to be looking at flights,” she added.

The bus itself wasn’t terrible, Alex notes. It had roomy seats, phone chargers, Wi-Fi, and a bathroom, though she didn’t test its cleanliness. But the lack of clear communication about the mode of transportation left her and other passengers surprised.

“I was in no way the only person who was not aware that this was happening. There was another lady on the return trip who was mad. She was mad. I thought it was very funny,” she says in the video.

Alex reached out to American Airlines via email while on the bus and received a $75 travel credit in response, though she says she’ll probably never use it.

“It’s the principle,” she explains.

Despite the surprise, Alex maintained a sense of humor about the situation.

“I was very surprised by this. I’m not angry about it. I’m not bitter. I thought it was honestly hysterical. Like, the entire bus ride, I was just laughing,” she says.

Alex does warn future travelers that while her bus experience went smoothly, she’s seen other videos where buses got stuck in traffic and passengers missed their connecting flights.

For anyone booking through third-party sites, she recommends paying close attention to travel times and double-checking the fine print.

“Next time, I’ll pay closer attention. The bus really wasn’t bad. It’s a great option for people. I just didn’t know that it was happening,” she says in the video.

What Is American Airlines Landline?

According to its website, American Airlines works with The Landline Company to run motorcoach service between smaller regional airports and major hubs.

Right now, the buses connect Philadelphia International Airport to five regional airports: Allentown/Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Trenton-Mercer, New Jersey; Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania; and Wilmington, Delaware. There are also connections between Chicago O’Hare and Rockford, Illinois, and South Bend, Indiana.

The motorcoaches have leather seats, entertainment, Wi-Fi, and power outlets at every seat. Passengers can check their bags and go through security once, and bags get transferred between the bus and plane. Travelers earn AAdvantage miles on these bus trips just like they would on flights.

When you book directly through American Airlines, it’ll show “Operated by The Landline Company.” But on third-party booking sites, that detail isn’t always as clear.

Commenters React

“Going thru tsa for a bus that’s insane,” a top comment read.

“NGL, a Bus at an airport that really wants to grow up and be an Airplane sounds like a decent premise to a Pixar movie,” a person said.

“I would’ve knocked so much shit over…” another wrote.

“American Groundlines,” a commenter added.

BroBible reached out to Alex for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to American Airlines via email. We’ll be sure to update this if they respond.