Hartmann

Looks like Skybus is selling fares and should start flying in May: http://www.columbusdispatch.com/disp...1_EN6FON5.html

http://www.skybus.com/

CMH-BOS - $10

SRQ Guy

I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone in their right mind would start up an airline.

Hartmann

I just like the fact that they aren't hiding what they are... I mean, even the name suggests what kind of in-flight experience you will receive

fs2k2isfun

Can you not bring your own food onboard?:
"Most people love our full cocktail bar and food menu, but if you’re not into that, it won’t cost you a penny. Why should your ticket cost include your neighbor’s dinner? That also goes for blankets and pillows–which, by the way, you get to keep if you buy. Oh, and don’t sneak food onboard unless you brought enough for the whole plane."
Found that on the "rules of flying" page. This seems like a very short sighted rule, will they make exceptions for people with special needs or is this just a joke?

Rand0mized

I really hope they expand into New York with their service. It will probably be a while before they do. The fares are incredible.

TVCMH

Insert 25 cents to recline your seat...

ButIsItArt

They should know better than to double dog dare the flying public that way

"Butthead State University frat, en route to party destination and lured by cheap fares, brings 150 orders of fermented tofu/sauerkraut/menudo/pickled herring onboard Skybus flight to share with passengers!"

BearX220

And you're going to get what you pay for. No telephone contact with the airline allowed ("We don't have a phone number")? Charging for water onboard? Stopping people from bringing sandwiches into the cabin? Charging $10 extra to preboard? Landing people in Bellingham and telling 'em they're in Seattle, which is 125 miles away?

It's the Yugo of airlines... a flash-in-the-pan curiosity.

dhuey

93.7 miles, BLI to downtown Seattle, according to Google Maps.

Ryanair has been doing essentially the same thing for years, and profitably. Don't be so quick to label it a flash-in-the-pan. A lot of people are willing to put up with a lot of hassles to get dirt cheap fares.

ttjoseph

As a highly anecdotal example, I looked up how much it would cost to fly Skybus roundtrip PSM-BUR (what they want you to equate to BOS-LAX) May 25-27, which is a weekend trip.

PSM-CMH: $10 + $8.15 tax
CMH-BUR: $100 + $10.40 tax
BUR-CMH: $75 + $10.40 tax
CMH-PSM: $10 + $8.15 tax

Total: $232.10. The CMH-BUR segment must be flown on May 26 because that connection cannot be made on May 25 due to scheduling.

Cheapest on WN for the closest equivalent, MHT-LAX, was $436. Flying BOS-LAX on DL (cheapest of the legacies) costs $368, about a $136 difference from Skybus, without considering the cost, in both money and time, of a night in CMH.

Skybus has one hub: CMH. If you want to fly "SEA-LAX" (really BLI-BUR) you actually have to fly BLI-CMH-BUR.

Conclusion: This is a new WN with worse service and a very limited route network. Fares are lower than the legacies if your schedule, location, and destinations happen to mesh with theirs. I also don't see an FF program (you'd get 5222 miles on a legacy for BOS-LAX).

Hartmann

It really sounds like the "don't bring food on board" stuff is true. I don't know how that is going to work for them. Most fliers have been "trained" to bring food and drink on-board to compensate for the lack of food or the quality of what is provided.

Are they going to go through people's bags before they board? What happens when they are at FL10 and I whip out a turkey sandwich? Do I get a parachute and a birds-eye view of corn country?

hangpilot

Good job I'll never, ever fly them. It's a pity that so many people are lured by saving a buck and compounding inconvenience in doing so, and still see it as a deal. :-(

BearX220

I think people are going to spring for the low fares, expect the service level they've grown accustomed to on mainstream airlines, then explode.

Imagine the altercations when people march up to the gate with just-purchased, wrapped-up Subway sandwiches for the upcoming five-hour flight and are told they have to throw them away. You couldn't pay me enough to be a GA for Skybus.

The edgy, in-your-face tone of the Skybus "Flying Rules" manifesto sort of mimics Ryanair, but I don't think it will go down in the US at all.

greggwiggins

Looking over the Skybus website I keep being reminded of Alaska Airlines' parody Sky High Airlines website.

thebug622

Hi Density single class seating for a A319 is 142,they have 156 seats for sale.