Another opposite from WN is that Skybus has made a complete and total bet on 1 market - Columbus. Both operationally and service-wise (for example, I can't book MCI-CMH-XXX on Skybus...it's only CMH).

WN took the opposite approach: distribute the network so that no single airport can kill the entire organism. The Chicago example is perfect: when they get smacked with a big snowstorm, UA and AA are hosed pretty badly. WN is only hosed sorta-badly, because they can move people through other places besides MDW, even though MDW is a pretty big operation for them.

Now if WN would only lose the cattle call, install some F seats, fly to Europe and Asia, recognize elite status, and... Oh, nevermind. ;) :D

Well, they have a phone listing:
4181 Arlingate Plz
Columbus, OH 43228
(614) 246-8800

Columbus, Ohio - the new IN destination?
 

This morning I open up my DING and, lo and behold, cheapest fares are into CMH. One-way fares thru DING:

AUS-CMH=$50
HOU-CMH=$50
MHT-CMH=$25
PVD-CMH=$25
SAT-CMH=$50

Of course, none of these origination cities are Skybus cities. Nevertheless, it seems curious that WN would target Columbus the same month Skybus plans its startup from that city. Coincidence? Any opinions about why WN is doing this?

In any event, CMH seems a cheap place to get to this month. Anything to do there?

Skybus news
 

A couple of news stories and clips from a Columbus' local TV station on Skybus' inaugural flight:

http://www.10tv.com/vplayer.php?clip...Experience.wmv

http://www.10tv.com/vplayer.php?clip...kes_Flight.wmv

According to the news, "there were some glitches, but most passengers didn't mind" and "the food is better than most airlines." But, one of the problems was that they ran out of food halfway into the flight.

I like the idea of this airline, but that local TV report was just plain silly. Toward the end, a passenger says that she liked how there was more legroom than with most other airlines! Huh? They put 156 seats in an A319, right? Isn't that about 20-30 more than the other carriers?

At the very end, note well the line about how the parent company of the station is an investor in Skybus.

The leased aircraft until they get their own have 144 seats so it probably isn't too bad right now.

Good luck to them of course........It will be interesting however to see whether Skybus will ALSO follow Ryanairs apparently "hands off" approach when problems do arise...

Check the Skytrax forums for numerous complaints about Ryanair pax being stranded after flight cancellations....

I can not imagine Americans putting up with THAT sort of treatment....

I still think this airline will fail. There are just so many things wrong with the business plan. I know the Columbus folks are all excited to have an airline, but few people are excited to travel TO Columbus (and since they're not really doing connections, that's pretty much your choice right now). For $10, people will flying anything. For $50, most will. But above that price, you'll start getting picky. I can't see higher fare biz travellers ever taking SkyBus unless there's no reasonable nonstop alternative. I think the lack of customer service will earn them huge negative publicity the first time things go wrong (and they will).

These guys would have had a shot had they located near a major metropolitan area (of course, all of those are pretty well served right now). The USA isn't Europe at the time of Ryanair's launch. There are many good lowfare alternatives.

Don't forget that you are NOT allowed to bring your own food and drink :td: This airline is a joke. By the time you add the costs of getting from your arrival city to where you actually want to go, it will cost you more.

I honestly don't think John/Jane Q. Vacationer think about the cost to get from the airport to their real destination, luggage fees, and the like when they buy their plane tickets. I think that besides tOSU students, they will be unlikely to get very much repeat business. Especially if they follow Ryanair's lead on irregular operations.

Per a post in this thread they apparently ran out of food in-flight. That's going to be a slight problem when you're expected to not bring your own. The next time the airline will be featured on the national news will be during the first big summer storm system that slams the country.

That is what is going to happen. Ma and Pa Kettle and their ten children are going to arrive at the airport clueless to not knowing what it is going to cost them to check their twenty bags, that even a soda for all of the little ones is going to cost, and if the kids get hungry well that's another $7 or so for a sandwich.

I agree with one of the Posters that people will fly Skybus for $10 to $50 for the hell of it (remember the foregone discounters of the 1980s and early
1990s that offered cheap, cheap flights to no where in particular). But no airline can survive on just dirt cheap flights, Independence Air tried and we see where they are today.

I think that an unhappy few might find they end up paying more, but the vast majority will pay substantially less. Breakfast is $5; lunch is $10 (the same or very close to the other carriers in coach). Humans are capable of eating nothing for the duration of even the longest of Skybus's flights, and comfortably so if they eat just before heading to the airport.

As for arrival cities, Burbank, Oakland and other Skybus destinations are real destinations. The only true boondocks destinations are Bellingham, WA (between Seattle & Vancouver) and Portsmouth, NH. But I doubt that very many Skybus customers who are flying to these places will be surprised to learn that they still have a ways to go to get to Seattle/Vancouver or Boston. I'll bet most of them have relatives/friends who are picking them up.

A question to the Skybus doubters:

If I had set forth Ryanair's business plan years ago, would you have been as skeptical of that as you are of Skybus's plan? You do realize that Ryanair is a financial success, right?

I hate to wish any business bad luck, but .... Skybus is taking things too far. WN has done great things for fares (even if I generally avoid them) but it has also permitted the other airlines to reduce the standards of service. If Skybus succeeds, the majors will reduce service even further and add even more fees.

Personally, I can't see how Skybus can succeed since I don't think American's will tolerate airports being called Seattle which are a couple of hours away from Seattle or the inability to call in on the phone.

On the other hand, someone willing to finance an order to 65 A319's disagrees.