FAQ

It's a scene played for comic effect, not meant to be taken literally. They were scared out of their wits, hence being skeletons.

It didn't actually happen. What we saw is what they felt: that their death was imminent.

No, they were created specifically for the movie.

There aren't very many Thanksgiving-centered films that succeed, and the holiday film genre in general is hard to do well without lapsing into sentimentality. "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" is one of the most popular Thanksgiving films today. One of its secrets is that it doesn't focus primarily on the holiday event but on the attempt to get home for the holiday. Read more here on the film's status as one of the best Thanksgiving movies out there:

When Neal and Del checked into the Braidwood Inn, Neal handed Gus his Diner's Club Card while Del handed him his Overnight Discount Card. Since the two cards looked very similar the two accidentally picked up the other persons card and didn't notice. As to why Neal never noticed that he had Del's card instead of his Diner's Club card the following day keep in mind he also had a Visa card which is more than likely what he used to pay for the train ticket, meals, bus tickets and his rental car.

When Del told Neal that he had his Diner's Club card the entire time it seems illogical that Neal would be upset because it could easily be proven that it was a simply mix-up by simply looking in Neal's burned up wallet and finding the charred remains of Del's Overnight Discount card, however Neal was mad because Del rented a car with Neal's card instead of trying to return it and then didn't tell him when he had the opportunity leading Neal to falsely assume that Del stole it.