A Brand-New Service for Those of You Who Really Hate Philly’s Airport

Inside the bus that will take you from the Wilmington airport to Philadelphia International Airport. (photo courtesy Delaware River & Bay Authority)

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New Wilmington Airport Bus Service Offers Solution for Those of You Who Really Hate the Philadelphia Airport

According to a recent report, Philadelphia International Airport is the worst airport in the entire country. That seems a little extreme to me. But there’s no denying that our airport can be a huge pain in the ass. Could a new bus service from the Wilmington airport hold the answer?

Here’s how it works. Instead of driving to and parking at Philadelphia International Airport, you drive to and park at Wilmington’s tiny airport, where parking is cheaper. There, you breeze through the essentially non-existent security lines. And you check your bags with airline staff in Wilmington. Then, you hop on a bus, which takes you to the Philadelphia airport, where you skip security and just go to your gate.

The new bus service, which launched today, can only be utilized with American Airlines flights. When booking your trip on the American Airlines website, you select Wilmington, Delaware, as your departure point (the airport code is ILG and here’s why) and then whatever destination you want that American Airlines flies to.

I checked a bunch of random destinations, comparing leaving from Philadelphia the traditional way to leaving from Philadelphia after the bus from Wilmington. Some prices for specific flights were about the same and some were about $75 more round-trip using Wilmington as the departure point.

Depending on where you live, dealing with the Wilmington airport might not sound like the worst idea ever. After all, it’s a straight 30-minute shot between the two airports. (Well, assuming there’s no traffic.) Then again, after flying back from vacation or a business trip on a cramped plane that was likely delayed and where the guy next to me was drooling on my shoulder for the majority of the journey, the last thing I probably want to do upon my return is wait for a bus.

Humidity Gets Political

It’s not a presidential election unless there are complaints about mail-in ballots. This complaint is a little different, though. Some Philadelphia voters report receiving mail-in ballots that are already sealed and, apparently, the recent brutal humidity might be the culprit. So what do you do if your mail-in ballot shows up sealed? The safest bet is to go to an election satellite office and ask for a new one. You can also request one online.

From the Dept. Of … Wait, They’re Still Open?!

The most shocking thing about the news that Philly waterfront restaurant the Chart House is closing is the revelation that it was still open. Honestly I thought it closed 20 years ago. The last day for the Chart House will be November 30th. In a statement to NBC 10, Chart House management claimed that the closure is due to construction in the area. Which, OK.

By the Numbers

63 percent: Portion of Pennsylvania voters who are “very or somewhat confident” that the presidential election votes across the country will be counted “fairly and accurately,” according to a new poll. When you break down voter confidence by party, no shocker here: approximately 80 percent of Pennsylvania Democrats who responded to the poll say they are “very confident” whereas just 12 percent of Republicans feel that way about the presidential election. Insert your own false claim here about the illegal votes cast by the souls of dead cats that were eaten by Haitians.

9: Franchised Federal Donuts and Chicken joints in the suburbs planned by Michael Heller, the executive chairman and CEO of the gigantic Philly-based law firm Cozen O’Connor. Heller is part of a group that has bought four Federal Donuts and Chicken shops in Philadelphia, and the group’s suburban expansion is underway. As for Cozen O’Connor, the firm took in $653 million last year under Heller’s leadership. Sounds impressive, but then consider that the guy behind those Jawn Morgan billboards spends $180 million a year on advertising.

30 percent: Fare hike SEPTA is considering as the agency grapples with a huge budget deficit. No word on what percentage of that fare hike will go to making the BSL platforms smell less like pee.

Local Talent

Quakertown native Sabrina Carpenter seems to be doing alright for herself: She’s headlining at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night. Fun trivia: Carpenter is the niece of the person who voices Bart Simpson.

A Bit About Sports

Sunday night’s Phillies playoff game sure was a nail biter, wasn’t it? I thought for sure it was going to go into extra innings. But then Nick Castellanos saved the day in the bottom of the ninth with the game tied up and two outs. The Phillies won 7-6, tying the series with the Mets 1-1. We head up to New York for Game 3 on Tuesday. First pitch is at 5:08 p.m. A reminder that this series is best of five games, so we’re guaranteed to play on Wednesday night as well. Depending on what happens, a potential Game 5 would happen in Philly this Friday at 4:08 p.m.

As for those Eagles, they play the Browns in South Philly this Sunday at 1 p.m.