February 25, 200817 yr Columbus experienced extremely dense fog during the mid-morning. The visibility was so bad that several inbound aircraft were put into holding patterns just outside of Columbus, all of which ended up diverting to other airport. The Skybus plane that arrived in CVG was SKB 42, a flight from Richmond, VA. In addition, a flight from Portsmouth, NH diverted to, of all places, Parkersburg, WV. Needless to say, since they still have no flexibility in their schedule, their operation was messed up. They ended up canceling their San Diego roundtrip and other flights have been posting 3+ hour delays. Definitely not a pretty day for the orange butterfly. Thanks, I knew you had the inside scoup!
February 25, 200817 yr I don't like and what it's doing in the local market. It's increased traffic at CMH by quite a bit last year and given Columbus a lot of extra national/regional media exposure. Fine by me. And for the record, I've only flown once (to San Fran) and enjoyed my flight. I've got two more booked to Milwaukee and Chattanooga coming up in April & May, but I anticipate those to also be well worth the small amount I paid for my trips.
February 25, 200817 yr http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2008/01/10/news/top_news/doc1f6e1541eb55ac91862573cc00081d03.txt Skybus Gary's ticket to U.S. [email protected] 219.933.3326 | Thursday, January 10, 2008 | 34 comment(s)
February 25, 200817 yr As noted earlier, the affect that SB is having on the local market maybe seen for years to come and as Columbus tries to change its image, the very public problems this airline has cannot be good for anyone. They're only "very public problems" because CMH_Downtown posts every 2 hour delay on here as if it's uncommon in today's air travel industry. ;)
February 26, 200817 yr <b><a href="http://dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/02/26/port_columbus.html">Skybus tops Southwest as No. 1 carrier at Port Columbus in January</a></b> Tuesday, February 26, 2008 <i> BY MARLA MATZER ROSE</i> THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Skybus Airlines became the top carrier at Port Columbus in January, edging out Southwest Airlines, which had been the leader in number of passengers flown to and from the airport since 2005. Overall, the airport continued the double-digit growth in passenger traffic that it has experienced since Skybus started flying. Port Columbus posted another record month in January, serving 588,525 passengers, a 10.6 percent increase over January 2007 <a href="http://dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/02/26/port_columbus.html">READ MORE</a>
March 2, 200817 yr Founder's flight plan: 2nd low-cost option Sunday, March 2, 2008 - 3:42 AM By Marla Matzer Rose THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The founder of Skybus Airlines is making another run at starting another low-cost airline. This time, John Weikle is talking to public officials and business leaders in Charleston, W.Va., about a startup that, like Skybus, would be based on the highly successful Irish carrier Ryanair. The drive to bring new air service to Charleston's Yeager Airport has been dubbed Project New Horizons, but a name for the airline has not been disclosed. Yeager has nonstop service to 10 cities via regional jet service from major airlines. It has been without a low-cost carrier since Independence Air folded in 2006. On Monday, the county will hold a meeting to discuss and vote on investing $500,000 in the airline project through its convention and visitors bureau fund. The city of Charleston also is considering an investment of the same size. Last week, a local development group, the Charleston Area Alliance, voted to invest at least $50,000 and possibly up to $200,000 in the venture. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com
March 3, 200817 yr I wonder how many people here who complain about Skybus has actually flown on it? Just ignore those remarks Walker. They work for airlines and have a vested interest in seeing new competition fail. I've flown three times now (even once for business), with a 4th coming up in a few months. I have zero complaints considering what I paid for the tickets. I hope they make it and am glad the city and local organizations are behind them...nothing ventured, nothing gained. Honestly, I work for an airline that wouldn't be affected by SkyBus in the least and I agree with CMH_Downtown: once SkyBus folds, and it will, CMH will have less total operations than when SkyBus began with little incentive for the other carriers to fill in the patches quickly. With less travel options for businesses, the Columbus economy in general suffers. The bad will outweigh the good in the long run. SkyBus has released one financial statement and not suprisingly it was a loss. If SkyBus was even sniffing break even, you'd see press releases touting a success story. It's been eerily quiet in the arena though. I think the folks at SkyBus are ambitious, but unless they get additional financing or oil prices collapse, they'll be gone by this time next year.
March 3, 200817 yr ^Why would airlines have little incentive to restart/expand service IF SX folds. Airlines want to make money and if their is a gap in service from CMH that can make money, an airline will fill that gap. As for them losing money their first quarter in business, that was obviously going to happen. Even Virgin America lost money and everyone thinks they're the greatest thing, so its not a surprise. SX may not make it, but I can't say, like many do, that they WILL be gone this time next year or this summer or whatever. The industry is too fluid to make such a prediction.
March 3, 200817 yr ^Why would airlines have little incentive to restart/expand service IF SX folds. Airlines want to make money and if their is a gap in service from CMH that can make money, an airline will fill that gap. As for them losing money their first quarter in business, that was obviously going to happen. Even Virgin America lost money and everyone thinks they're the greatest thing, so its not a surprise. SX may not make it, but I can't say, like many do, that they WILL be gone this time next year or this summer or whatever. The industry is too fluid to make such a prediction. I kinda touched on this on the CVG thread. Once an airplane(s) is removed from a route and used for something else, it can take a very long time to restart that service again. You're assuming that Delta, Southwest, Midwest or whoever has the aircraft to immediately start service once SX fails. The odds are very low that will happen. When Independence folded at Dulles it took 22 months for IAD's total flight operation to reach levels seen before Independence. The kicker with Dulles is there's a lot more international service here now then there was 2 years ago. Without that international push, IAD's total operation is still lower than it was in the spring of '05. So my argument is not unfounded. Many people predicted the demise of Independence Air with pretty good accuracy. Same with JetBlue's growing pains. Analyists have been screaming for a Delta-NW merger for years. Fluid dosen't mean unpredicatable. That being said, it is what it is, a guess on my part. They don't release financial statements with any regularity. To me though, that's more of a bad sign than good.
March 3, 200817 yr Lots of people predicted that Southwest and JetBlue would fold within the first year as well. There are a few interviews with Skybus' CEO posted up over HERE where he predicts profitablility in 2008.
March 4, 200817 yr Lots of people predicted that Southwest and JetBlue would fold within the first year as well. There are a few interviews with Skybus' CEO posted up over HERE where he predicts profitablility in 2008. Actually, not too many people predicted the end of JetBlue in the first year. They had substantial funding, a novel idea with live TV in the seatbacks, and Jet A fuel was around $1.25/gal when they started. It also helps they weren't reserving a block of seats at $10 a pop to go from JFK-LGB. I don't know what you are saying about Southwest. Southwest has been around for a much longer time compared to other low-cost competitors, back into the days before deregulation..the late 60's I believe. It wasn't a low-cost carrier when it was started. It was principally a regional airline that served smaller Texas/Oklahoma cities into Dallas/Houston/San Antonio. That's why they have hearts on their planes...for Love field in Dallas, the originial commercial airport in Dallas. Corny, I know. Only in Texas. The other interesting rumor about Southwest is that its founders were the first to coin the term "the Texas Triangle" for their hubs. Somewhere along the line NBA "experts" got ahold of that ditty and worked it into the ground.
March 7, 200817 yr Regarding SX overtaking WN as the number 1 carrier at CMH, how did this happen. WN had 128,000 pax in December and then only 114,000 in January. Is WN all of a sudden doing poorly. I can't imagine SX has taken any of their pax as they don't really compete head to head anywhere. WN has, what 30 daily flights and SX 20? WN loads msut be really poor. Any CMH insiders have insight?
March 8, 200817 yr Regarding SX overtaking WN as the number 1 carrier at CMH, how did this happen. WN had 128,000 pax in December and then only 114,000 in January. Is WN all of a sudden doing poorly. January is a historically slow month for all airlines. For example, last year Southwest had 121,018 in December and then 114,748 in January. The same trend can be seen for all airlines. I can't imagine SX has taken any of their pax as they don't really compete head to head anywhere. WN has, what 30 daily flights and SX 20? WN loads msut be really poor. Southwest and Skybus might not compete head-to-head on routes, but they do compete head-to-head largely on the same consumer base, the vacation/discretionary traveler. With the economy being the way it is, the family of 4 that may have wanted to go to Disney World via Southwest is now going to St. Augustine via Skybus. Or the newlyweds planning to go to Vegas via Southwest are now going to Burbank via Skybus. In fact, if you look at the January numbers, the percentage drop among the mainstay airlines is quite alarming. While January is typically a slow month, it has definitely been compounded by Skybus' existance. Did Southwest cut any routes or frequencies? Actually, Southwest has added frequencies from Columbus year over year, and will add a 30th flight from CMH in May when they add a 3rd daily LAS flight.
March 10, 200817 yr ^With news of WN losing out to SX, I bet CMH will be stuck at 30 flights (if not less) for some time to come. Honestly, not sure where WN could expand from here anyway. Not interested in coastal cities from CMH nor cities like DEN and HOU. So, I'd say there's not much hope in new cities from any carrier besides SX.
March 11, 200817 yr Looks like even the pilots have had enough... Most of Skybus' pilots want a union Tuesday, March 11, 2008 3:04 AM By Marla Matzer Rose THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/03/11/skybus_union.ART_ART_03-11-08_C10_849JQD9.html?sid=101 The pilots for Skybus Airlines are attempting to unionize, with more than 80 percent favoring a vote by next month to join the Teamsters. The move comes as all airlines are struggling with soaring fuel prices, and it could pose another threat to the airline's goal of keeping its costs far below industry standards. Labor and fuel are by far the largest expenses for an airline.
March 11, 200817 yr I'll never understand why people want to bankrupt their employers. I guess these pilots haven't lived in Ohio long enough to understand the effect that unions can have.
March 11, 200817 yr an airline pilot union isn't an "ohio" thing. I think Brewmaster was getting at Ohio's history of being a union stronghold and the effects it's had on business and development, but that's an whole other discussions in and of itself. You're right that airline pilot unions are certainly not limited it Ohio, but in this case it speaks volumes about how Skybus' workers feel about their company. I've heard quite a few stories from the flight attendant line, and they're not good either. But not to worry, as long as we can have $10 airfares, apparently nothing else matters.
March 11, 200817 yr an airline pilot union isn't an "ohio" thing. I think Brewmaster was getting at Ohio's history of being a union stronghold and the effects it's had on business and development, but that's an whole other discussions in and of itself. You're right that airline pilot unions are certainly not limited it Ohio, but in this case it speaks volumes about how Skybus' workers feel about their company. I've heard quite a few stories from the flight attendant line, and they're not good either. But not to worry, as long as we can have $10 airfares, apparently nothing else matters. ok...sorry. (lack of caffeine is affecting my brain) I would speculate that if SB pilot and or FA's unionize, those $10 fares would go buh-bye! As there cost structure would go thru the roof and the company would go deeper in the red.
March 11, 200817 yr Thanks for clarifying that CMH. I think it'll be a long time before they drop the $10 fare gimmick. It's cheap advertising and gets loads of press every time they free up a new tranche of tickets. It'll probably get absorbed by those other 140 some tickets though. With $109/bbl oil and a hedging disadvantage to other legacy carriers, this is the last thing they needed.
March 11, 200817 yr But not to worry, as long as we can have $10 airfares, apparently nothing else matters. Damn straight! That's the American way! :wink:
March 13, 200817 yr Stick a fork in them... Skybus throttles back on growth Airline weighs fuel costs, recession in its plans to cut and add flights Thursday, March 13, 2008 3:19 AM By Amy Saunders and Marla Matzer Rose THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Skybus Airlines is slowing its rate of expansion and will cut flights because of rising fuel costs and fears of a recession. But the Columbus-based airline said it will add some flights, too, when it announces plans within two weeks for service beginning in August. More at: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/03/13/skybus_retrench.ART_ART_03-13-08_C12_UB9KE8O.html?sid=101
March 13, 200817 yr Some comments: He declined to discuss specifics, but he said Skybus will cut at least a couple of destinations where sales have not been strong and will fly less frequently to some places. He said flights will be added on profitable routes, making an equal number of "pluses and minuses." Say goodbye to Kansas City and Chattanooga, at least. Depending on how drastic the cuts will be, throw in Milwaukee and Richmond as well. The latter two at least should see one of their daily flights cut. The airline also is loosening up its flight schedule, which is so tight that having to de-ice planes in the morning often makes it impossible to stay on time. Reducing the 15-hour use of planes and scheduling more time between flights will help Skybus meet its goal of a 90 percent on-time rate, Diffenderffer said. This sends off huge warning signs. Read a few Dispatch articles back; Skybus was hailed for their being able to schedule as much flying within a day by scheduling everything based on 25-minute turn arounds. They have finally figured out that they can't do it and expect to run an ontime schedule. However, with more ground time, these aircraft aren't making money sitting on the ground, Mr. Diffenderffer said so himeself. Diffenderffer said the number of passengers whose existing bookings will be canceled is "relatively small." Those passengers will be notified of cancellations by e-mail and will receive credit-card refunds within the next several weeks. I wonder what "relatively small" means. Relatively small in comparison to other routes being kept? Systemwide loads? Either way, it's yet another group of disenfranchised travelers who will now have to seek other options completely, since Skybus cannot reroute them on themselves or on another carrier. Not to mention the amount of potential travelers that will think twice about purchasing on Skybus until the impending cuts are actually announced. Diffenderffer said that demand for service to Burbank, the only nonstop flight from Port Columbus to the West Coast, outweighs the cost of flying cross-country -- for now. "We're giving it one more chance," he said. That sounds promising. If things don't improve one way or another, look for that route to go the way of the dodo sooner rather than later. Florida likely will get more service from Skybus, from Columbus and from other cities. The airline has had success with direct flights between Florida and Portsmouth, N.H., its "near- Boston" destination. A source familiar with the matter said at least one or two other current Skybus cities also might be offered direct service to Florida. Diffenderffer would only say with a smile: "We like Florida." Again, huge warning signs. Skybus is again straying away from their original model. Supposedly, under the Ryanair model, you route everything back to your focus city all day so that crews and maintenance can all be done in one place. The more point-to-point flying they do, the more chances of having to overnight crews in other cities as well as schedule fowl-ups if a plane goes on maintenance in another city. In addition, Mr. Diffenderffer hints that Florida is doing well for Skybus. That's all well and good, but the number of flights and destinations from Columbus to Florida and very finite. That means if more expansion is likely to existing Florida destinations, it's not going to be from Columbus. If more Florida cities are added, CMH will likely receive some new nonstops, but like I said, there are only so many places they can go before they just run out of places to grow. So the airline either becomes stagnant in growth or has to look outside Columbus for a place that actually can support the growth they need to survive. In short, I refer everyone back to a post I made last year regarding this exact same scenario: I give Skybus roughly a year of existance before entering into Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, followed by liquidation 1 or 2 quarters later. Their demise will come from a host of operational problem that are followed by knee-jerk reactions by the top brass, causing costs to rise, and profitability to become unattainable. A traveling public unaccustomed to having their ticket voided by showing up at the counter after check-in cut off and not being provided lodging or meal vouchers for controllable delays will cause further headache for Skybus. Also, I just can't see Skybus making money on their fare plan. The airline doesn't make money on the $10 and $50 fares, it's the $100-$200 fares that Skybus needs to be selling.
March 13, 200817 yr I actually think its a good thing that they are finally adapting to the economy. Why fly somewhere if its not working out? Just so they won't offend someone who already booked tickets someplace? In a way, SX arrived at a pretty good time. In the past, with airlines not as cautious about ticket prices, the "legacy" and lcc airlines at CMH would have lowered prices to try and kill off SX. In today's economy, they can't afford to do that. So, they let SX take the market if they can't compete with SX. Had JetBlue been smart and began CMH service with FLL instead of yet another flight to NY, they may still be here. But, I am just an observer.
March 13, 200817 yr I actually think its a good thing that they are finally adapting to the economy. Why fly somewhere if its not working out? Just so they won't offend someone who already booked tickets someplace? "Finally" being the operative word. In my opinion, MCI should've been scuttled long ago. CHA should never have been considered. BLI, SAN, OAK, and even BUR were just plain dumb. And I'm not saying that they shouldn't do it so as not to offend people, but the fact of the matter is it will put off a lot of people that are warry about their air travel investment. In today's economy, they can't afford to do that. So, they let SX take the market if they can't compete with SX. I fail to see how that's a good thing. Traditionally, the introduction of a low cost carrier to a market spurrs competition and low fares. A great example is the introduction of AirTran to the Dayton-Atlanta market. In order to maintain their share of the market, Delta priced their fares to match AirTran and added flights in an effort to force AirTran out. The market responded favorably to both, and now the market is extremely well served with multiple flights by both carriers at very affordable fares. With Skybus, the competition can't match fares, so you have an extreme dichotomy with Skybus' insanely low fares and traditional carriers' "high" fares. As we've seen in several markets now, such as MCI, FLL, and NYC, Skybus actually decreases competition and leaves us with lower fares, but far substandard service. Had JetBlue been smart and began CMH service with FLL instead of yet another flight to NY, they may still be here. They definitely should have started FLL when they had the chance, though JFK would've been a given anyways, since most everything still revolves around their main base. It's interesting to note that all their logos are still up at their counter and baggage service office, I can't help but wonder if they might be waiting to see if the Columbus market makes another drastic change which offers them the opportunity to return.
March 13, 200817 yr ^Not saying its a good thing that airlines let SX take the market. Just that its the way things are right now. Regarding JB still having signage, I remember there still being a sign with Indy Air last time I flew out of CMH (May 2006). Weren't they gone for a couple years by then?
March 13, 200817 yr Nah, FLYi went kaput in January of '06. Most signage was taken down immediately after. In fact, I helped load the counter signage into the trunk of one of my coworker's car. If anything was left behind with the Independence Air name, it was airport-owned signage, like in the baggage claim area or on the departures/arrivals level.
March 17, 200817 yr Skybus' website might have leaked their new routes early. Their flight status tool is showing new flights between: Richmond and St. Augustine (Jacksonville) Chicopee (Hartford) and St. Augustine (Jacksonville) Chicopee (Hartford) and Punta Gorda (Fort Myers) Portsmouth (Boston) and Stewart/Newburgh (New York) If this is indeed the case, it will be interesting to see how much flights from CMH begin to suffer. Even though the airline does not sell connections, many people do in fact make their own. It was evident when Skybus began point-to-point flights from PSM to Florida and the resulting passenger load drop on their CMH-PSM flights. CEF and RIC to CMH are relatively weak as it is, it will be interesting to see how much offering P2P routes from these cities canibalizes their flights to CMH.
March 18, 200817 yr http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/03/17/story12.html Friday, March 14, 2008 Skybus making changes on the fly in response to fuel costs, late flights Business First of Columbus - by Brian R. Ball Business First Soaring jet fuel costs and a need to improve customer service are prompting changes at Skybus Airlines Inc. Skybus CEO Bill Diffenderffer said the Columbus airline plans in April to cut less profitable routes in favor of more lucrative destinations and reduce the number of hours its fleet is carrying passengers as it applies lessons learned since its launch last May. "We've been flying 10 months now," he said, "and we know what works and what doesn't work." More at link above:
March 19, 200817 yr I think fuel costs will kill most airlines within 10 years. Can't keep raising prices because consumers will find other ways or buy other products.
March 19, 200817 yr Skybus adjusts flight schedule Wednesday, March 19, 2008 3:05 AM By Marla Matzer Rose THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/03/19/skybus_cuts.ART_ART_03-19-08_C8_UB9MDN4.html?sid=101 Skybus Airlines won't fly to Niagara Falls, N.Y., after all. The Columbus-based airline this morning opened sales from Aug. 1 to Sept. 2, and in the process made promised schedule changes on service from its home city as well as the others it serves. Gone is the Port Columbus-to-Niagara Falls route planned to begin April 1. More at link above:
March 19, 200817 yr Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - 10:34 AM EDT Skybus cuts, reduces Columbus flights Business First of Columbus - Business First http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/03/17/daily20.html?jst=b_ln_hl A spike in jet fuel costs has prompted Skybus Airlines Inc. to discontinue or reduce service from Columbus to five cities it had planned to include in its route system next month, the company said Wednesday. The locally based discount airline has scrapped plans to add service April 1 to Niagara Falls (N.Y.) International Airport and make a second daily flight to Milwaukee. Skybus also will cut service April 15 between Columbus and Chattanooga (Tenn.) Metropolitan Airport and eliminate one of its two daily flights each to Stewart International Airport, north of New York, and to Chicopee, Mass. More at link above:
March 19, 200817 yr In addition, their Burbank flight goes to 6x weekly service, not operating on Wednesdays.
March 24, 200817 yr Breaking news from the Dispatch... Skybus' chief executive, Diffenderffer, resigns Skybus Airlines' chief executive, Bill Diffenderffer, has resigned, the airline announced today. He will be replaced by the company's chief financial officer, Mike Hodge, effective immediately.
March 24, 200817 yr Skybus' chief executive Diffenderffer resigns Airline names financial chief Hodge to top spot Monday, March 24, 2008 - 12:45 PM THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Skybus Airlines’ chief executive, Bill Diffenderffer, has resigned, the airline announced today. He will be replaced by the company’s chief financial officer, Mike Hodge, effective immediately. Diffenderffer is stepping aside to return to writing books, a career he left in 2005 when he joined Skybus. More at: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/03/24/skybus_ceo.html?sid=101
March 25, 200817 yr No way! I'm sure Mr. Diffenderffer just wanted to spend more time with his family. . .er I mean. . ."return to writing books". :wink:
March 25, 200817 yr All the corporate cliche's are in this story: moving on to other things, now's the time to move forward, yadda-yadda-yadda. Yeah, I almost believe someone would leave a CEO job of a major airline to return to writing the great American novel. :roll:
March 25, 200817 yr Here's a bit more on the SkyBus CEO resignation from today's Dispatch... Skybus shake-up: Top exec resigns No-frills airline must tackle flaws quickly, experts say Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 3:12 AM By Marla Matzer Rose, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Slammed by high fuel prices, labor issues and too many late flights, Skybus Airlines' yesterday announced a change at the top. Bill Diffenderffer, chief executive since the airline began flying, has been replaced by Chief Financial Officer Mike Hodge in a move that some analysts say is critical to the airline's survival. More at: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/03/25/skybus_ceo_exits_print.ART_ART_03-25-08_A1_V29O2IR.html?sid=101
March 25, 200817 yr Here's a little more of what we're all wondering about the future of SkyBus from the Dispatch reporter's blog... Skybus Exec Shakeup: The End, or a Second Chance? Posted by Marla Matzer Rose on March 25, 2008 8:42 AM http://blog.dispatch.com/flying/2008/03/skybus_exec_shakeup_the_end_or.shtml As everyone who cares probably knows by now, Skybus CEO Bill Diffenderffer stepped down yesterday and was replaced by CFO Mike Hodge. This came just days after Diffenderffer and airline president Ken Gile met with me and another Dispatch reporter to discuss changes they'd be making in the airline, including halving growth (from a planned 100% to 50% next year), cutting routes and staggering morning flight times at Port Columbus, where they'd faced numerous, often weather-related, delays over the winter.
April 2, 200817 yr Skybus Airlines vice president of operations announces resignation Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - 11:15 AM By Marla Matzer Rose THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Bud Sittig, one of Skybus Airlines’ longest-tenured employees, has resigned as vice president of operations for the airline. The move comes one week after the abrupt departure of Chief Executive Bill Diffenderffer and his replacement by former Skybus chief financial officer Mike Hodge. http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/04/02/skybus_ops.html
April 2, 200817 yr I wonder if yesterday was the last straw. Tuesday's are generally scheduled to operate with fewer flights, yet even with the breathing room it looks like it was an operational disaster yesterday, with several flights running 3-4+ hours late. Either way, things are sounding critical over at the Skybus camp.
April 5, 200817 yr Well, I must say, it happened sooner than I thought. My heart aches for all those involved (I've been through it twice already), but I hate to say I told you so... Skybus shuts down, cancels all flights Friday, April 4, 2008 - 8:20 PM By Marla Matzer Rose THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Skybus Airlines, a Columbus carrier that excited central Ohio travelers with its $10 fares, is calling it quits. The news came quickly today, with the airline planning to announce at 9:30 p.m. that it will no longer be in business Saturday. After today, all flights are canceled. Those holding tickets for future flights are advised to contact their credit card companies about obtaining refunds. Skybus is not providing alternate transportation. Those who purchased trip insurance within the last month should make any claims through the Skybus insurance provider, AIG TravelGuard. The policy that went into effect in early March covers airline-caused cancellations; the previous policy did not. As of today, Skybus was making 80 daily flights to 15 cities around the U.S. It made its first flight from its home base at Port Columbus on May 22 of last year and opened a second base in Greensboro, N.C. in January. Skybus has approximately 450 employees. Of those, 350 are based in Columbus, with the remainder in Greensboro. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com
April 5, 200817 yr @#&^%#!!!! Couldn't they have at least waited until after my trip to California at the end of this month? I was really looking forward to a trip for my wife and I to Oakland at the cost of $81 total for both of us. Oh well- I think all of us could have seen this coming. I was just figuring they'd at least survive until summer.
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