“Worst Of Both Worlds” — Woman’s American Airlines Flight To Chicago Turns Out To Be A Bus Ride
CHICAGO, Illinois — A traveler headed to New York got an unexpected surprise when her American Airlines flight to Chicago wasn’t a flight at all — it was a bus ride.
TikTok user Krista Moats (@kristamoats) shared her story in a now-viral video, revealing that her connection from South Bend International Airport (SBN) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) involved boarding a shuttle bus instead of an aircraft.
“I booked a work trip to New York,” she explained in her post. “The day of my flight I checked my bags, went through security, and after my zone was called to board — we all got on a bus and were driven all the way from SBN to ORD.”
A New “Flight” Experience For Travelers
According to Moats, this was part of a new gate-to-gate bus service that American Airlines recently launched, a program previously available only in Philadelphia. The initiative aims to connect passengers from smaller regional airports directly to major hubs using ground transportation rather than short-haul flights.
“It wasn’t even on my radar to look for ‘bus’ while booking,” she said. “That option didn’t exist before, so I wasn’t paying close attention. But I’m not complaining — I was happy with the service.”
Her video, which shows footage of the white shuttle bus driving alongside airplanes on the tarmac, captures her reaction as she realized what was happening. “When I exited the gate to get on the plane, it was a bus,” she laughed. “Apparently, it was the very first of American Airlines’ new bus connections from South Bend to Chicago.”
Fellow Passengers Were Equally Confused
In her short clip, airport staff can be seen taking photos of the vehicle as travelers boarded, marking the inaugural trip for the new service. Moats described the scene as “so wild,” saying crew members were “excited and snapping pictures” as the bus departed.
Passengers rode beside taxiing planes, an experience she called “weirdly surreal.” Once at O’Hare, the shuttle pulled up directly to a terminal gate, allowing passengers to continue their trips as if they had disembarked from a plane.
@kristamoats I booked a work trip to New York and the airport I fly from is really small so I had to connect in Chicago (other options to connect were Atlanta or Minneapolis- so I picked Chicago that time). The day of my flight I checked my bags, went through security, and after my zone was called to board – we all got on a bus and were driven all the way from SBN – ORD. This is a new service previously only available in Philadelphia, so it wasn’t exactly on my radar to look for “bus” while booking. Literally that option didn’t exist previously, so I wasn’t looking out for that. I was booking according to total trip time and wasn’t paying a ton of attention, but I’m also not complaining bc I was happy with the service. This was the first trip on the first day of service, an inaugural trip. I made a post about it because regionally it’s a very cool new offering, and some people were disgusted that I would try to fly from South Bend to Chicago…. Guess I shouldn’t have assumed people knew how that worked but hey! Lesson learned.
Travelers React Online
While Moats said she appreciated the convenience, others online weren’t as amused. Some users commented that they’d be upset to pay “airplane money for a bus ticket.”
One Reddit user shared a similar story, explaining that their connecting “flight” from Philadelphia to Atlantic City also turned out to be a bus. “I paid for a flight, not a cheap bus ride with no food or drink service,” they wrote, calling the experience “really frustrating.”
Others defended the practice, noting that short-distance flights often make less sense logistically. According to travel analysts, the drive between South Bend and Chicago is about 95 miles — roughly two hours by road, which can be faster and more fuel-efficient than a 20-minute flight when factoring in boarding, taxiing, and takeoff delays.
The Bigger Picture
Airlines like American have begun experimenting with short-haul bus services to reduce costs and emissions while maintaining connectivity from smaller airports.
Though some travelers feel misled, industry experts suggest that this model could become more common for routes under 150 miles — particularly when paired with large hub airports like O’Hare.
As for Krista, she took the experience in stride. “I wasn’t mad — just surprised,” she said. “I made a post about it because regionally it’s a cool new offering.”
Still, many commenters weren’t so forgiving. One wrote, “So they made you pay airplane money for a bus ticket? That’s the worst of both worlds.”
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