Families and solo travelers alike were welcomed with a surprisingly easy trip to the Philadelphia Airport Monday morning, as Wilmington Airport's new shuttle service connecting the two air travel hubs officially kicked off.
American Airlines and its associated bus service, The Landline Co., announced months ago that a shuttle service would connect the Philadelphia International Airport to smaller regional airports, including the Wilmington Airport. Since then, the once-struggling Wilmington Airport has heavily advertised the new service as a convenient, hassle-free alternative to the heavy traffic and security lines that plague the Philadelphia Airport.
This morning, the bus service began, and the initial reaction was positive for the first batch of air travelers, nearly all of whom agreed that the time saved on traffic alone made the connecting venture worth it.
Here are the details.
How does the bus service work?
With the coach bus service, customers can book a flight through the American Airlines website , using ILG as the origin airport, and selecting the proper endpoint destination.
The booking time for your flight coincides with the time that the bus departs the Wilmington Airport for Philadelphia, or vice versa. The bus departs six times per day to and from the two airports.
On the day of your travels, passengers can park, check their bags and go through security at the Wilmington Airport before boarding a motorcoach bus that takes them to the Philadelphia International Airport’s Terminal F. From there, people can disembark to their proper gates and board their flights.
Wilmington to Philadelphia schedule
- Depart at 6:45 a.m., arrive at 7:35 a.m.
- Depart at 8 a.m., arrive at 8:50 a.m.
- Depart at 11 a.m., arrive at 11:50 a.m.
- Depart at 1:30 p.m., arrive at 2:20 p.m.
- Depart at 4 p.m., arrive at 4:55 p.m.
- Depart at 6 p.m., arrive at 6:50 p.m.
Philadelphia to Wilmington schedule
- Depart at 8:30 a.m., arrive at 9:20 a.m.
- Depart at 10:30 a.m., arrive at 11:20 a.m.
- Depart at 1:55 p.m., arrive at 2:45 p.m.
- Depart at 3:35 p.m., arrive at 4:25 p.m.
- Depart at 6:35 p.m., arrive at 7:30 p.m.
- Depart at 8:45 p.m., arrive at 9:35 p.m.
Each bus seats 35 people and offers free WiFi and in-seat power at each seat. American Airlines rewards members can also receive AAdvantage miles using the bus service.
First customers hail 'convenient' and 'casual' route
James Kieth and his family live just under 10 minutes from the Wilmington Airport and had booked a flight on the morning of Monday, Oct. 7 to head to a wedding in Savannah, Georgia, a route that Avelo Airlines used to offer out of the Wilmington Airport, but discontinued last year .
"I'm an American Airlines award member, I use American flights all the time," Kieth said. "The fact that we were able to park here and take a shuttle up made it way easier. This is much more convenient."
The new service also opens Wilmington Airport up to flyers who are looking to travel outside of the current 11 routes offered by Avelo Airlines − even international flights.
Donald Haas, a Wilmington native, was able to use the Wilmington Airport's parking and security lines before embarking on his flight to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and was relieved that he was able to avoid the stresses of driving to Philadelphia.
Howard Armstead, a Middletown resident, had just learned about the service when he booked his flight to Chicago for Monday, Oct. 7, and already made his mind up about the service.
"Very convenient. I will do this again," Armstead said. "I just appreciate that they have this out here - the easy parking, cheaper parking. It's also just not as busy as Philly."
Another major plus from the side of Delaware River and Bay Authority, who own the Wilmington Airport, is that the service's routes will bring more travelers into Delaware. Such was the case for Douglas Crenshaw and Rachelle Case, who hail from Columbus, Ohio, and were traveling to Wilmington.
"It was a very smooth drive and it was very convenient," Case said. "For the convenience of just getting on a bus instead of going through all of the [other] procedures, this is a great option."
"I think this will be popular," Crenshaw said. "I would do this again, even on our trip back."
Tips for booking your trip
According to American Airlines, the bus service also serves other regional airports from Philadelphia such as Allentown/Bethlehem, PA (ABE); Atlantic City, NJ (ACY); Wilkes-Barre / Scranton, PA (AVP), along with the Wilmington Airport.
The airline suggests that, similar to a connecting flight, customers check in to their bus trip 24 hours before the shuttle departure. Customers will be able to choose their own assigned seats when they book online or with the American Airlines mobile app.
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Every Landline bus is ADA accessible, and special assistance can be requested when customers book or manage their trip online.
More parking should be made available at the Wilmington Airport in the coming weeks. After purchasing the former motel adjacent to the airport for additional parking, the Wilmington Airport posted on its Facebook page that the construction on that site would be completed by the end of this month.
Molly McVety covers community and environmental issues around Delaware. Contact her at mmcvety@delawareonline.com . Follow her on Twitter @mollymcvety .
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: 'Very convenient': Wilmington Airport coach bus begins service to Philadelphia.
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