American Airlines has replaced buses with jets on the 84-mile (135 km) link between South Bend Regional Airport in Indiana and Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), switching to the aircraft link in October 2026, according to WNDU. Under the Landline arrangement, passengers checked in at the small airport, cleared TSA screening there and rode to a secure-side gate at O'Hare, with bags checked through to the final destination, and the coach carried a flight number and earned AAdvantage miles. The new service is operated by SkyWest Airlines as American Eagle with dual-class Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jets, offering three daily round trips and a blocked time of about 1 hour 15 minutes, roughly an hour and a half less than the bus.
The trade-off is frequency: daily seats ease only from 210 to 195, but travelers have fewer departure choices, and United Airlines operates up to eight daily round trips on the route, compared with American's three. South Bend Regional Airport CEO Mike Daigle said the connection was in high demand and now offers one-stop access to more than 350 destinations. Rockford, whose bus launched around the same time in October 2025, fared worse: Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) was told on July 31, 2026 that service would end October 4, passengers were offered refunds or alternate arrangements, and no replacement flights followed, leaving Rockford without its only link to American. The Philadelphia Landline partnership continues, linking five regional airports to that hub.
