# Skybus has opened it's schedule thru March 6



## deh333 (Jul 11, 2007)

Skybus has opened its schedule thru March 6.  Low cost carrier.  They fly out of Columbus OH.


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## Bill4728 (Jul 11, 2007)

SkyBus: the ultimate airline hub system

All their flights are to or from just one place: Columbus OH

So if you want to fly from the northwest (bellingham, WA) to the DC area (Richmond VA),  you must buy a ticket on the one flight to Columbus and then a second ticket on the flight to VA.  

BUT, It is really cheap!

www.skybus.com


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## x3 skier (Jul 11, 2007)

Sky Bus, the Greyhound lines of the air. Cheap for the fare but they charge for EVERYTHING else. I think I read somewhere they have pay toilets on the plane.  

I give them 6 months to a year before they either collapse or the market liquidates them. 

Cheers


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jul 11, 2007)

IIRC - you are not allowed to bring food on the plane, and the only food available is what they sell - no free snacks.

They also sell a variety of merchandise, and their flight staff are paid partly on commission from what they sell to passengers.  So for the duration of the flight you are a captive audience subjected to sales pitches.

But they are cheap.  The model is that people will put up with being a captive sales audience in exchange for lower fares


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## jzsackst (Jul 18, 2007)

Does anyone know when they will open up flights for the rest of March '08.  Do they have some type of schedule for opening up flights like Southwest.


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## Carolinian (Jul 19, 2007)

abellee said:


> Sky Bus, the Greyhound lines of the air. Cheap for the fare but they charge for EVERYTHING else. I think I read somewhere they have pay toilets on the plane.
> 
> I give them 6 months to a year before they either collapse or the market liquidates them.
> 
> Cheers



Unless the US market is a whole lot different than the European market, I doubt that!

Their model is based on that of highly successful European LCC's like Ryan Air and EasyJet.  EasyJet has had a higher market capitalizatin than their home country's flag carrier, British Airways, for some time, and Irish-based Ryan Air earlier this year launched an almost succesful takeover bid for Ireland's flag carrier.  Their model has made these LCC's consistently profitable even when the legacy airlines or flag carriers were bleeding red ink.

The model is also being repeated on the Continent with LCC's like Air Berlin and Germanwings, also highly profitable.  Air Berlin just placed the largest order to date from a European airline (20 planes) for Boeing's new super efficient long range 787 Dreamliner.

If you want to see what this airline is likely to look like in a few years if it executes the proven formula efficiently, check out: 
www.easyjet.com
www.ryanair.com
www.germanwings.com
Click on the ''destinations'' or ''where we fly'' to see their route networks.


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## x3 skier (Jul 20, 2007)

Carolinian said:


> Unless the US market is a whole lot different than the European market, I doubt that!
> 
> Their model is based on that of highly successful European LCC's like Ryan Air and EasyJet.  EasyJet has had a higher market capitalizatin than their home country's flag carrier, British Airways, for some time, and Irish-based Ryan Air earlier this year launched an almost succesful takeover bid for Ireland's flag carrier.  Their model has made these LCC's consistently profitable even when the legacy airlines or flag carriers were bleeding red ink.
> 
> ...



I have flown bmiBaby and other LCC's in Europe and really like then (IF I can meet the luggage allowance and don't mind the trek from the remote airport). 

Skybus is a different thing all together in my view. Southwest is a closer model to most major European LCC's. 

Still if Skybus makes it flying head to head against Southwest from / to CMH, more power to them. However, I am reminded of Sir Freddie Laker who was very successful until he flamed out. But times change. 

Cheers


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## Hoc (Jul 21, 2007)

OK, in light of all the noise I looked at their site.  But $470 round trip from LAX to Columbus does not seem cheap to me.  That's $940 for a coach round trip to Boston.  That actually seems outrageously expensive.


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## Carolinian (Jul 21, 2007)

Skybus has a model closer to Ryan Air than to Southwest.  The CEO at Ryan Air studied Southwest to learn their business plan and decided he could pinch the pennies even more than they do.  And he does!




abellee said:


> I have flown bmiBaby and other LCC's in Europe and really like then (IF I can meet the luggage allowance and don't mind the trek from the remote airport).
> 
> Skybus is a different thing all together in my view. Southwest is a closer model to most major European LCC's.
> 
> ...


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