Originally Posted by
newyorkgeorge
My guess is that this Skybus should also operate as mainly an airline for leisure travel. WN for years attracted that class of travel through its "down home" humor (quite honestly not something I really want out of an airline). As WN has moved into bigger airports and began attracting last minute business travelers looking for cheaper altneratives their "good old boy" corporate facade has changed a bit. Skybus good do well creating a positive image with the ma and pa kettle crowd. Believe if my company told me to fly Skybus I would very quickly tell them where to stick that 156 paxs A319. And I would have no desire to travel with them when it is on my dime, $10 fares or not.
The key difference is that Southwest actually executes their model very well -
and strives to take very good care of their customers. Call 1-800-Southwest, for example, and you're talking to a human faster than when I call either the UA or AA elite lines. Plus, any fare I buy on Southwest is completely changeable. Flying them, even with the cattle call, is better than flying any legacy carrier without elite status.
Skybus is jumping out of the box almost taking pride in a surly, unfriendly demeanor. It's the opposite approach to WN. The $10 fares earned them some media run, but this thing isn't going to last.