Skybus.com Offers $10 Flights

Posted by the*point*man 26 April 2007 at 01:28PM

UPDATE: For those of you looking to book flights - please visit the Skybus website at http://www.skybus.com/.

Sounded like a scam to me, so I checked it out. Not as applicable to your typical road warrior, but the business model is interesting.

Everything is ala carte so you pay a premium for items such as meals, priority seating, check-in luggage, etc. Skybus let’s you select and pay for exactly what you want.

All the planes are brand new Airbus A319’s with the following benefits:

  • Is large enough to be more comfortable than traditional regional jets, yet able to land at regional airports. With the A319 you get the best of both worlds: the benefits of using a small airport - and a comfortable ride.
  • Has the exceptional range of 3,700 nautical miles/6,850 kilometers, giving us the capability to fly you non-stop across the continent.
  • Typically seats 156 passengers, with comfortable leather seats throughout the cabin. Note that all seats on Skybus flights are a single class - there is no First or Business-class seating.
  • Has wider aisles than other planes in its class, making it quicker and easier for passengers to get on and off.
  • Is a ‘state of the art’ aircraft with the latest electronics and flight instrument equipment.

Straight from their rules of flying:

  1. Don’t pay for everyone else’s baggage.

    On Skybus, you pay only for what you check. The first two bags are 5 bucks apiece. After that, it’s $50 a bag (yeah, so pack smartly). Less baggage means faster turnaround and cheaper tickets. Fair deal?

  2. Hungry? Thirsty? Bring cash.

    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.

  3. Bring a book.

    We’re not big fans of fancy in-flight entertainment systems. So grab that best seller at the airport, or buy a Sudoku puzzle onboard if you’re feeling brainy. You’ll touch down before you know it.

  4. Don’t call us.

    We don’t have a phone number. Seriously. We’d love to chat, but those phone banks are expensive. And a good website like skybus.com is even more convenient.

  5. Don’t be late. We won’t be.

    Please arrive no later than 30 minutes before takeoff, or we’ll leave without you. Really. By that time, there won’t even be anyone to check your bag. It’s nothing against you–we just have to keep our flights on time, or things get expensive in a hurry.

  6. Don’t expect an army of gate agents.

    You probably won’t see any agents at the gate until boarding time. Remain calm! Just print your boarding pass at skybus.com and relish in the savings.

  7. Yeah, we’ve got preferred seats. Sort of.

    There are no fancy reclining beds onboard, but you can pay 10 bucks extra to board our brand-new A319 airplanes before anyone else.

  8. Tickets are nonrefundable.

    Refunding a ticket costs everyone, so we don’t allow it. Of course, our tickets are so cheap it wouldn’t have been much of a refund anyway. If you need to change a ticket, your punishment for breaking a date with us is $40.

  9. Bigger is not better.

    Big airports can be a big pain. We choose less crowded and more convenient secondary airports for better punctuality and, of course, lower prices.

  10. No spontaneous dancing in the aisle.

    We realize you might be excited about paying a ridiculously low fare, but please refrain from any unbridled dancing onboard. This includes jumping for joy, disruptive cheering, and celebratory break dancing.

Oh, and they currently only fly to a few places:

  • PSM - Boston (Portsmouth, NH)
  • CMH - Columbus, OH
  • FLL - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
  • GSO - Greensboro, NC
  • MCI - Kansas City, MO
  • BUR - Los Angeles (Burbank, CA)
  • RIC - Richmond, VA
  • OAK - San Francisco (Oakland, CA)
  • BLI - Seattle/Vancouver (Bellingham, WA)

The limited selection of cities probably nullifies this as an option for business travelers, but it’s interesting to note how our current flying conditions pave the way for business models like this. Would there be a Skybus.com if we didn’t have such congested airports? Not likely.

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Comments

  1. Karen Howland 03 July 2007 at 12:51PM:

    Skubus are you looking for small airports? I have two suggestions for you-one, Gainsville Fl. two(2) gates, and Palatka Fl., 24 miles east of Gainsville, used basically for small private planes and sky diving. We live in Interlachen Fl., 14 miles from Palatka and 24 miles from Gainsville- St. Augustine is 60 miles approx. from us.

    I would also like to arrange to book a flight with Skybus for Jan. 14, 2008, destination Columbus, Ohio from St. Augus- tine with a return flight Feb. 1, 2008. Any assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated. I was planning a trip for this month to go to Columbus, but all the cheap seats are gone and I will be traveling with one child, but can’t afford $100 per seat at this time.

    Thank you very much.

    Respectfully,

    Karen Howland

  2. Karen Howland 03 July 2007 at 12:51PM:

    Skubus are you looking for small airports? I have two suggestions for you-one, Gainsville Fl. two(2) gates, and Palatka Fl., 24 miles east of Gainsville, used basically for small private planes and sky diving. We live in Interlachen Fl., 14 miles from Palatka and 24 miles from Gainsville- St. Augustine is 60 miles approx. from us.

    I would also like to arrange to book a flight with Skybus for Jan. 14, 2008, destination Columbus, Ohio from St. Augus- tine with a return flight Feb. 1, 2008. Any assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated. I was planning a trip for this month to go to Columbus, but all the cheap seats are gone and I will be traveling with one child, but can’t afford $100 per seat at this time.

    Thank you very much.

    Respectfully,

    Karen Howland

  3. Karen Howland 03 July 2007 at 12:52PM:

    Skubus are you looking for small airports? I have two suggestions for you-one, Gainsville Fl. two(2) gates, and Palatka Fl., 24 miles east of Gainsville, used basically for small private planes and sky diving. We live in Interlachen Fl., 14 miles from Palatka and 24 miles from Gainsville- St. Augustine is 60 miles approx. from us.

    I would also like to arrange to book a flight with Skybus for Jan. 14, 2008, destination Columbus, Ohio from St. Augus- tine with a return flight Feb. 1, 2008. Any assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated. I was planning a trip for this month to go to Columbus, but all the cheap seats are gone and I will be traveling with one child, but can’t afford $100 per seat at this time.

    Thank you very much.

    Respectfully,

    Karen Howland

  4. Karen Howland 03 July 2007 at 12:52PM:

    Skubus are you looking for small airports? I have two suggestions for you-one, Gainsville Fl. two(2) gates, and Palatka Fl., 24 miles east of Gainsville, used basically for small private planes and sky diving. We live in Interlachen Fl., 14 miles from Palatka and 24 miles from Gainsville- St. Augustine is 60 miles approx. from us.

    I would also like to arrange to book a flight with Skybus for Jan. 14, 2008, destination Columbus, Ohio from St. Augus- tine with a return flight Feb. 1, 2008. Any assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated. I was planning a trip for this month to go to Columbus, but all the cheap seats are gone and I will be traveling with one child, but can’t afford $100 per seat at this time.

    Thank you very much.

    Respectfully,

    Karen Howland

  5. lanny heil 07 July 2007 at 10:46PM:

    i want to buy a planes ticket for june 13 2007 Lanny Heil 816-809-3370 from Kansas city to san hosa calif

  6. lanny heil 07 July 2007 at 10:46PM:

    i want to buy a planes ticket for june 13 2007 Lanny Heil 816-809-3370 from Kansas city to san hosa calif

  7. lanny heil 07 July 2007 at 10:47PM:

    i want to buy a planes ticket for june 13 2007 Lanny Heil 816-809-3370 from Kansas city to san hosa calif

  8. KHURST3@neo.rr.com 06 August 2007 at 09:27PM:

    I read above looking for small airport. Rickenbacker AFB out of Columbus, OH to Sanford, FL Airport used to be 2 or 3 airlines there and they are no longer. I LOVED that small aiport trip for 49 to 69 bucks, used it 3 to 5 times a year. Great stuff your doing SkyBus Kim Hurst (1st time customer).

  9. KHURST3@neo.rr.com 06 August 2007 at 09:28PM:

    I read above looking for small airport. Rickenbacker AFB out of Columbus, OH to Sanford, FL Airport used to be 2 or 3 airlines there and they are no longer. I LOVED that small aiport trip for 49 to 69 bucks, used it 3 to 5 times a year. Great stuff your doing SkyBus Kim Hurst (1st time customer).

  10. KHURST3@neo.rr.com 06 August 2007 at 09:28PM:

    I read above looking for small airport. Rickenbacker AFB out of Columbus, OH to Sanford, FL Airport used to be 2 or 3 airlines there and they are no longer. I LOVED that small aiport trip for 49 to 69 bucks, used it 3 to 5 times a year. Great stuff your doing SkyBus Kim Hurst (1st time customer).

  11. KHURST3@neo.rr.com 06 August 2007 at 09:29PM:

    I read above looking for small airport. Rickenbacker AFB out of Columbus, OH to Sanford, FL Airport used to be 2 or 3 airlines there and they are no longer. I LOVED that small aiport trip for 49 to 69 bucks, used it 3 to 5 times a year. Great stuff your doing SkyBus Kim Hurst (1st time customer).

  12. KHURST3@neo.rr.com 06 August 2007 at 09:29PM:

    I read above looking for small airport. Rickenbacker AFB out of Columbus, OH to Sanford, FL Airport used to be 2 or 3 airlines there and they are no longer. I LOVED that small aiport trip for 49 to 69 bucks, used it 3 to 5 times a year. Great stuff your doing SkyBus Kim Hurst (1st time customer).

  13. KHURST3@neo.rr.com 06 August 2007 at 09:30PM:

    I read above looking for small airport. Rickenbacker AFB out of Columbus, OH to Sanford, FL Airport used to be 2 or 3 airlines there and they are no longer. I LOVED that small aiport trip for 49 to 69 bucks, used it 3 to 5 times a year. Great stuff your doing SkyBus Kim Hurst (1st time customer).

  14. Doug McDonald doug_mcdonald@comcast.net 27 August 2007 at 09:42PM:

    I am From Tulsa, Oklahoma and know that is a small International airport. Skybus would be a great way for me to see my grandchildren and some good ol’ biker buddies of mine.

  15. chefrusty904@yahoo.com 26 September 2007 at 05:04AM:

    I want to fly fron St Augustine Fl to new york or as close to Long Island NY. I am an avid skiier and would not mind ending up in Nev ENgland somewhere tad renting ca car

  16. chefrusty904@yahoo.com 26 September 2007 at 05:05AM:

    I want to fly fron St Augustine Fl to new york or as close to Long Island NY. I am an avid skiier and would not mind ending up in Nev ENgland somewhere tad renting ca car sorry about my spelling i just woke up

  17. chefrusty904@yahoo.com 26 September 2007 at 05:05AM:

    I want to fly fron St Augustine Fl to new york or as close to Long Island NY. I am an avid skiier and would not mind ending up in Nev ENgland somewhere tad renting ca car sorry about my spelling i just woke up

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