Alec Baldwin may have found a new mode of transport. The actor, who was kicked off an American Airlines flight Tuesday then criticized in a harsh statement from the airline, has been invited by Greyhound to reassess the pleasures of bus travel.
In an open letter, Greyhound CEO Dave Leach is urging the "30 Rock" actor, who compared American Airlines to the bus giant as a criticism, to give his company a shot.
"Now I'm the first to admit that Greyhound has had some challenges in the past, so I understand that you probably were basing your comments on that alone," writes Leach. "But we've made so many changes in recent years to significantly improve the travel experience. My guess is you've never traveled with us, but I ask you to give us a try for a number of reasons and see for yourself that we're really a great way to travel."
Leach mentions the hundreds of new buses in the Greyhound fleet that offer added more legroom, leather seats, power outlets and free Wi-Fi -- meaning electronic devices won't have to be shut off. He even directs Baldwin to Greyhound's Facebook page so that the actor could start a Words With Friends game with the company, which is "more than happy to take on the challenge."
In closing, Leach invites Baldwin to meet him in New York to take a trip to Boston so he "can see first-hand what a great ride Greyhound can be."
The letter seems like an attempt to piggyback on the massive publicity surrounding Baldwin's complaints about American Airlines. The "Words With Friends-Gate" story has now generated enough interest that the quirky Taiwanese studio Next Media Animation released a take on the feud.
Accusing the 30 Rock star of being a "serial Twitter ranter," the clip describes the brouhaha, which started when the actor refused to switch off a mobile device after boarding a transcontinental flight in Los Angeles. A dust-up with a flight attendant ensued, and, according to the airline, Baldwin took his device into a lavatory and "was extremely rude to the crew, calling them inappropriate names and using offensive language."
Shortly after the incident, Baldwin deactivated his Twitter account -- but not before posting a number of anti-American Airlines messages and coining the hashtag #theresalwaysunited to promote the rival airline.
In a not-so-subtle swipe at the star, the video also shows a svelte Baldwin arranging Scrabble-like tiles that spell out "Crybaby." He has not yet admitted publicly to having played that word.