TSA assessing new program that offers airside-to-airside connectivity via motorcoach at Phil
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued a short term security program amendment to assess the security effectiveness of an industry-first program transporting by bus screened passengers, their carry-on items and their checked baggage from the secured area of Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) and Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) into the secured area of Philadelphia International Airport.
The program enables travelers from Atlantic City and Lehigh Valley Interntional airports to be screened by TSA at these airports and transported by bus directly to a gate inside Philadelphia International Airport's (PHL) secure area to catch a flight to their destination without being rescreened at Philadelphia.
The program, which launched this week, allows American Airlines customers traveling on Landline-operated motorcoaches from the Allentown/Bethlehem and Atlantic City areas to fly out of Philadelphia. The program has been operating in a curb-to-curb manner since June 2022, and now offers airside-to-airside motorcoach operations.
Beginning this week, customers are able to arrive at ABE or ACY, check-in with American, clear security at their local airport like any other flight, and then board their coach on the secure side of the terminal. Customers will arrive at a terminal gate at Philadelphia International Airport and proceed straight to their connecting flight without having to go back through security screening.
"This program streamlines the passenger experience and enables travelers to seamlessly travel out of a large international airport conveniently by going through our security screening process from a smaller international airport," said Gerardo Spero, TSA's Federal Security Director for Philadelphia. "We have put in numerous security requirements for the bus operators and all airline personnel to ensure robust security protocols are followed at all times."
"We are thankful to the TSA, our regulatory and airport partners, and Landline for the collective partnership and work to achieve this first-of-its-kind milestone," said American's Vice President of Corporate Security Gary Tomasulo. "We are excited to offer customers a more convenient experience to clear security at their local airport and arrive airside at our Philadelphia hub with a seamless connection to our global network."
"Since its launch last summer, the American Airlines Landline service has provided thousands of passengers with convenient access to hundreds of domestic and international flights at PHL," said Philadelphia CEO Atif Saeed. "We applaud American and Landline for their successful, forward-thinking partnership and thank the TSA for making this experience even easier for passengers by approving the airside-to-airside operations."
"Airside service from ABE and ACY is a glimpse at the future of travel that Landline is creating, in which ground transportation is fully integrated into the travel day," said Landline Co-founder and CEO David Sunde. "Arriving airside via ground transportation and immediately boarding your flight reduces both time and stress associated with flight connections. We thank TSA and American for their partnership and support in this historic innovation for air travel."
Travelers arriving in PHL will continue to board their Landline coach airside and arrive directly at their local airport. Checked baggage will be directly transferred between Landline's vehicles and American's network.