Question
Planes, Trains & Automobiles publicity still

Which city is the final destination in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"?

Last updated: November 25, 2025

John Hughes captured every holiday traveler's nightmare in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." Steve Martin plays Neal Page, a buttoned-up advertising executive who just wants to make it home from a business trip in New York for Thanksgiving dinner with his family. What should be a simple flight turns into an epic odyssey involving every possible mode of transportation and the world's most optimistic shower curtain ring salesman. Which city is the final destination in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"?

Correct Answer: Chicago

(Source)

After their flight gets diverted to Wichita due to a blizzard, Neal and Del's journey becomes a masterclass in Murphy's Law. They take a train that breaks down in the middle of nowhere, rent a car that catches fire, spend a night in the world's grimiest motel, and get robbed, all while just trying to get home to Chicago. The movie ends at a Chicago "L" station, where Neal finally thanks Del for helping him get home, but then brings him home to join his family for dinner. John Hughes based the script on his own hellish travel experience from Chicago to New York (but in reverse), where he worked in advertising. That explains how he knew exactly what would torture Neal.

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