Any Skybus updates?

[Lewisc]

1) As I said in the previous post, 2 bags will cost you 10 dollars with skybus. Most other airlines will allow for 2 free bags. Other than that charge, it IS essentially the same scheme. If you don't have checked baggage its a steal, since you don't have to pay for other people's baggage (as you do on most other airlines).

Carol said a passenger that books a second flight from Columbus to their final destination pays twice. That's $120 for a family of 3 R/T with 2 checked bags each, assuming they elect to fly Skybus to Columbus and then take another flght to their real destination. Not essetially the same as other airlines.

2) If the Skybus plane breaks (which btw would be LESS likely than most all of the other major airlines since they ordered 65 brand new planes), then they fly another one there and take you late. Yes you will be late, but if a plane breaks down at any airport with any airline, you will be late.

Planes "on order" mean nothing. Skybus is flying planes leased from Virgin. As soon as Virgin is ready to start flying in the US the planes go back.

3)Sure, you will probably have to travel further. Check the rental rates etc and see if it makes sense. If you save a lot of money, then it makes sense. If you don't, then don't do it.

One lucky poster didn't check in advance, is flying into to St. Augustine for a Thanksgiving trip to WDW. After booking they found out all rental agencies in the area are closed on Thanksgiving day.

4)The no phone service could be problematic. It won't change anything, but it will possibly keep you in the dark until the problem is resolved. And as far as that is concerned, if you have proper private insurance coverage, you shouldn't have a problem getting a room for the night if things don't work out.

There are 5 small hotels in the Columbus airport area. Of course there are going to be problems. Most of us don't see the need to purchase travel insurance for domestic flights. I didn't even think to add that cost to the other nickle and dime charge, good point. No phone service, no other airlines, computer will probably just issue refunds.

5)Seating is either a plus or not depending on which viewpoint you are coming from. If you get a ticket on delta later than most people, you will be stuck with a bad seat. With skybus, you could get a good seat no matter when you book your flight. There's always a good and bad.

Southwest lets you get an "A" BP, other airlines give you an assigned seat.

6) Vacationing in lovely Columbus is not a bad idea!

Skybus works well for people who live near one of their airports and who want to vacation in Columbus.

All I'm trying to say is that skybus is not as bad as most people make it out to be. The only real concern is the lack of phone service and the trouble of connecting flights. But, if you can find the right price, it's not too bad of a thing. Airlines are notorious for messing with people's plans, lets not act like the major ones are trouble free.

It's significantly worst for any passenger that plans to "change planes" in Columbus or who has to travel a destination from their destination airport.

Other airlines don't have an issue if a passenger brings food on board.You seem to know alot about Skybus. Why did you omit this information?

 

[Lewisc]

This is a Disney internet board and skybus doesn't fly to any airport that services the Orlando area. Even skybus, which is very generous with how they list their airports, doesn't suggest St. Augustine services WDW.

Skybus might work OK for a person who lives near one of the airports Skybus services and wants to visit Columbus.

Do you, or a friend/relative work for Skybus? Do you, or a friend/relative work for the Columbus airport or is otherwise connected with Skybus?

All I'm trying to say is that skybus is not as bad as most people make it out to be. The only real concern is the lack of phone service and the trouble of connecting flights. But, if you can find the right price, it's not too bad of a thing. Airlines are notorious for messing with people's plans, lets not act like the major ones are trouble free.

 

[dburg30]

I have yet to see anything concrete about who skybus is leasing their planes from. Maybe someone has a link to an official type announcement?

Re: car rental agencies at St Augustine. I would say there is a chance that perhaps the ones at St Augustine could wind up being open, and that Avis is considering opening up a place there also. (That was in a set of meeting notes from the St Augustine Airport directors, where they laid out what plans have / had been talked about or are in the works) I know that enterprise has already extended their weekend hours, basically within 2 weeks after skybus announced they were flying there.


It wont be a good deal for everyone, nothing is. But I do like it since I live here. I'm sure that I will take some long weekends, or some weekdays and do some 'mini vacations' on them. And I agree that folks need to understand where they fly into to make sure they dont get caught (although, skybus while on the 'broad' scope called St Augustine JAX, it also does show where you choose your flight EXACTLY where you go. Will I use them for short notice trips? Nope, but I dont think I'll use anyone for short notice trips, unless it's an emergency then I'll grab whatever is available.

I'll admit, I actually am now flying SW in December instead of Skybus for my vacation. The price had some to do with it, BUT the turning point for me was the flight times. I'll know be basically gaining 2 days at WDW since my SW flight gets in at 9am instead of 3pm and leaves at 7pm instead of 3. Plus the 2 1/2 hour drive to and from St Augustine. But I am using them for a few weekend getaways to NC this fall when I can take a carry on or just one bag, have $15 tickets instead of $10 tickets, and really dont care when the flight leaves as it's not a big deal to me. I may fly out to Burbank just to go to that area, I never even considered flying into LAX, just wasnt going to happen. Same thing with flights that would connect in JFK or BWI or some places like that, I just dont want to do that.

I guess do the research and if it will work out for you, go for it. Of all the startups lately, this is the one I'm least worried about just 'closing up' and you being stuck. If you dont like their idea, there are plenty of other airlines out there that I'm sure will stay flying no matter if they make money or not as the government will bail them out if they have issues anyway.


peace out

 

[CarolA]

I have yet to see anything concrete about who skybus is leasing their planes from. Maybe someone has a link to an official type announcement?

:

Not an offical announcment but from ABCnews.com

"
The plane — one of two new Airbus A319 jets leased from Virgin America — was roomy and quiet.

Skybus plans to lease 15 planes by the end of the year as it adds capacity."


http://abcnews.go.com/Business/PersonalFinance/Story?id=3195684&page=1&Business=true

 

[MrDiamond]

This was in a St Augustine paper on Friday, July 6th:

On Thursday, Skybus, the start-up airline known for its $10 fares, unveiled one of its brand-new orange and yellow planes at St. Augustine Airport, parked right next to the still-under-construction hangar terminal.

The plane, an Airbus A219 model, still had that "new plane smell," and has been in service for just five weeks, since the company's launch on May 22.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" asked airport director Ed Wuellner, pointing at the 127-foot aircraft, "The Spirit of Columbus," glistening in the sunlight on the tarmac, with sailboats heading north in the Tolomato River visible just to the east. "And the great thing is, these planes are super quiet, a lot quieter than older planes."

According to the article, Skybus has five planes now and another 60 on order from Airbus. It would seem that everything is moving in the right direction and I am planning on using them when the price is right.

 

[loriace]

We are booked on Skybus for December before our Disney cruise. The drive doesn't concern me, but I am concerned about where I am getting a rental car from. Does anyone know of any rental companies near the airport? Thanks.

 

[dburg30]

Yes, Enterprise has a place on property, and avis is exploring opening a location there also.

 

[Lewisc]

We are booked on Skybus for December before our Disney cruise. The drive doesn't concern me, but I am concerned about where I am getting a rental car from. Does anyone know of any rental companies near the airport? Thanks.

You'll have to see if Enterprise allows, and what they'll charge, if you want to drop off your rental car at the Port. Some agencies don't charge a drop off (one way fee) but won't allow any of the discount codes most of us use. Otherwise you'll have to rent the car for a week and pay for parking.

You probably should have checked before you booked your flight. You may wind up losing some of your savings. I hope you're flying in at least the day before your cruise.

 

[dburg30]

I dont know what time cruises leave or when you have to be checked in, but the skybus flight gets to St Augustine at 3pm, so I would hope they've made sure on that. And where did they ever say anything about driving one way or dont DCL's bring you back to where you left?

 

[Lewisc]

They didn't say anything about renting one way, many people rent one way for a cruise. Many people don't want to pay a weekly rate when they only need the car for two days and they don't want to pay $12/day for parking. Guests flying into MCO rent a car for drop off at the port all the time. I don't know what Enterprises policy but right now passengers flying Skybus into St. Augustine don't have a lot of options in selecting a rental car agency.

I said they have to check Enterprises' policy if they want to rent one way otherwise they have to budget for parking.

Passengers who are able to book the lower fares ($10-$50 O/W) may be doing OK but once the fare approaches $200 R/T the cost for the incidentals; checked luggage, drinks, hotel room the night before the cruise, higher rental car fees etc may wipe out much of the savings. Passengers should consider any extra Skybus charges as well as any extra expenses involved with getting to Columbus and getting to/from the destination airport to their final destination. Cruise passengers should realize if bad weather causes Skybus to cancel their flight it's very possible Skybus won't be able to accomodate all the displaced passengers on the flight the next day. I'd add the cost of travel insurance to the list of extra expenses.

Don't get me wrong, Skybus may work great for passengers who live near Columbus and have a reason to fly to one of the airports the service Skybus.

And where did they ever say anything about driving one way or dont DCL's bring you back to where you left?

 

[eeyoreluvr77]

there are a lot of what ifs, but there are the same what ifs in any flights. We chose to fly Skybus in Jan and got RT for 56 per person plus a rental car (AVIS) for 160 ... therefore still cheaper than booking 3 RT through Delta, Airtran, etc. We look forward to the 2 hour drive to WDW. This may not be the option for everyone, but still it is a good deal for those that it works for!

 

[debster812]

there are a lot of what ifs, but there are the same what ifs in any flights. We chose to fly Skybus in Jan and got RT for 56 per person plus a rental car (AVIS) for 160 ... therefore still cheaper than booking 3 RT through Delta, Airtran, etc. We look forward to the 2 hour drive to WDW. This may not be the option for everyone, but still it is a good deal for those that it works for!

See for me, and this is ONLY MY opinion, I would not be flying my first flight on Skybus in the middle of the winter. I fly out of New England, and last February it took Delta 2 and a half DAYS to get us out, after a snowstorm closed Logan airport.

With an airline who's plane inventory is similar to a charter, and does not have a lot of replacement inventory at their disposal, one good snow storm (or hurricane for that matter) could really wreak havoc.

Maybe I don't have a big enough sense of adventure, but if I were to fly them, it would be in the late Spring/early Summer, with no pressing plans at either end of the trip.

I hope I am just playing Eeyore here, and everything goes flawlessly.

 

[CarolA]

See for me, and this is ONLY MY opinion, I would not be flying my first flight on Skybus in the middle of the winter. I fly out of New England, and last February it took Delta 2 and a half DAYS to get us out, after a snowstorm closed Logan airport.

With an airline who's plane inventory is similar to a charter, and does not have a lot of replacement inventory at their disposal, one good snow storm (or hurricane for that matter) could really wreak havoc.

Maybe I don't have a big enough sense of adventure, but if I were to fly them, it would be in the late Spring/early Summer, with no pressing plans at either end of the trip.

I hope I am just playing Eeyore here, and everything goes flawlessly.

And be grateful you weren't on JetBlue who a WEEK after the storm was admitting defeat and canceling an entire scheule...

Unfortunately having followed the airline business for years I would give Skybus a 50/50 shot at survival (and that's probably generous). They "say" they have good finanical backing, but so did a lot of other "budget" start ups. I hope they don't go the way of PeoplesExpress, SouthEast, Independence and so on, but trying to start up an airline in the US with the labor, liablity and fuel costs is a tough propostion.

 

[debster812]

Oooh--PeopleExpress, I remember them. I used to fly them from DC to Boston when I was in college. Fun times.

I agree Carol, and we had a 50/50 chance of being on JetBlue in February, and as a matter of fact, once we got to FL, my Great Aunt, could not get home to Maine until 10 days after the storm. She was VERY well compensated, and is willing to give them another shot, but she was very upset while it was happening.

 

[CarolA]

Oooh--PeopleExpress, I remember them. I used to fly them from DC to Boston when I was in college. Fun times.

I agree Carol, and we had a 50/50 chance of being on JetBlue in February, and as a matter of fact, once we got to FL, my Great Aunt, could not get home to Maine until 10 days after the storm. She was VERY well compensated, and is willing to give them another shot, but she was very upset while it was happening.

I have never flown JetBlue. Until this I had heard only good things. If I ever have the chance to fly them though I think I will avoid Hurricane and Winter seasons until they "prove" they learned.... (When you have pilots and FAs CALLING the CEO asking what to do and wondering where the planes are you know there is a problem!)

 

[eeyoreluvr77]

hey I respect all of your points, but I know several people who have flown for both business and pleasure without a hitch. So why not give it a try??? and we actually are going down this fall also, just to visit with relatives (they live in Kissimmee) And after my fiasco with Northwest this summer, nothing can get worse (we were caught in the not enough pilots & weather & comuter glitch ~ and almost did not make it home because of the delays and connections) Long story short, it will be a long time before they get my $$$ since they didn't feel the need to compensate us.

 

[dburg30]

Hey I look at it as they only have one flight to get to FLA where others could have 5 just out of columbus. I give skybus a better chance to get one plane out then others to get 5 out in case of bad weather


ANY airline will be crippled if winter weather hits hard.. That's the bottom line. And I totally believe the $160 million start up cash they have. And with Nationwide helping too, I have no problems with them for the next year or so.. After that, we'll see..


I love the idea, I just wish I wouldve jumped on the $10 tix around xmas for greensboro where a large part of my family lives .

Yep, it's nice for us central ohio folks..

 

[CarolA]

Hey I look at it as they only have one flight to get to FLA where others could have 5 just out of columbus. I give skybus a better chance to get one plane out then others to get 5 out in case of bad weather


ANY airline will be crippled if winter weather hits hard.. That's the bottom line. And I totally believe the $160 million start up cash they have. And with Nationwide helping too, I have no problems with them for the next year or so.. After that, we'll see..


I love the idea, I just wish I wouldve jumped on the $10 tix around xmas for greensboro where a large part of my family lives .

Yep, it's nice for us central ohio folks..

Being crippled is one thing. Recovery is a different matter. JetBlues issue was NOT that the storm shut down operations, it was that a week later when ALL the other airlines were LONG recovered from the storm JetBlue was cancelling half it's schedule because they could not figure out how to get the planes and crews back on track!

$160 million SOUNDS like a lot of money, but not in airline terms.

Skybus has committed to buying LOTS of very costly airlplanes.

New U.S. low-fare airline Skybus orders 65 Airbus A319s
26 October 2006


Skybus, a new low-cost/low-fare airline based in Columbus, Ohio, has signed a firm contract for the purchase of 65 Airbus A319 aircraft. In terms of number of Airbus aircraft, this is among the largest single orders ever by a U.S. carrier. The airline has not yet announced its engine selection for the single-aisle aircraft.

JetFuel is running very high.

$10 fares aren't going to cut it...... They have to get people in the seats at some decent fares. And at least on this board, that isn't happening!

 

[dburg30]

The $100 they charge for those first 10 tix is made up from the way they have the plane made. To hold more then normal with no class difference. Dont they gain like 12 seats and only offer $10 for the first 10. Then it starts going up from there. Not all their seats are cheap. Heck there are some $330 tix on some of the flights, some are sold out which means some folks paid that for them. It's not like they arent getting money from ticket sales and running only on that 160 mil start up. It's called start up money for a reason. Hey, if they dont make it, it wont be the first company that failed and it wont be the last.
It's just that some people seem to keep pushing the $10 tix when that is a VERY VERY small selection.

They have to get people in the seats at some decent fares. And at least on this board, that isn't happening!

Well I've noticed that pretty much unless it's SW, people seem to turn their noses up at most other things mentioned, just my observation and my opinion. Hey I had booked skybus to St Augustine and I have since changed to SW flying direct to MCO. The only reason we did this was that we decided we werent going to have time to visit other places, that that using SW we'd get almost 2 extra days in the world. So I wound up spending about $100 more now then if I wouldve stayed with skybus and renting a car. I'm ok with that, and blame myself for not waiting to see what rates would be for SW in December. But I know my luck, and normally it doesnt work in my favor . Normally when I wait a) the low prices from skybus would've been gone, and b) SW would've been more then I wanted to pay, so then I would've been stuck.