I would avoid Skybus

[goofy4tink]

Diane - that statement doesn't include me, right???

Wellll, actually, I had you in mind specifically when I posted that Nope, no one is exempt from my 'wrath'. Well, maybe TLinden, but that's about it.

 

[tammymacb]

I support all the posters in this forum...as long as they adhere to DIS guidelines. I got the PM...and responded.


I've read this thread over and over.....I haven't seen anyone called either cheap or unloyal. I have seen frequent travelers sharing their experiences with those who travel less often. I have read that airlines reward those who are loyal to their airlines with certain perks, but it is the frequent traveler again, who would be considered to be loyal. Not someone like me who flys 2-3 times a year albeit on the same airline. No one was called cheap...yes, there was talk of 'cheap fares' but not cheap people. That is not the same thing.

Personally I am AMAZED that any airline is giving you the $50 standby fares. The folks flying Skybus tend to be the "cheapest" at all time flyers. So I don't see the airlines getting any return loyal customers from this. Next time someone shows up with"too good to be true" fares these customers are GONE LOL!

That's all I have to say about that.

BTW- if this thread was soley for "facts" it was posted to warn future travelers to avoid Skybus as they appeared to be about to fold. Well they folded. Seems like this factual thread is now unnecessary. ( Again IMHO )

 

[goofy4tink]

That's all I have to say about that.

BTW- if this thread was soley for "facts" it was posted to warn future travelers to avoid Skybus as they appeared to be about to fold. Well they folded. Seems like this factual thread is now unnecessary. ( Again IMHO )

Well then, I stand corrected. Sorry about that. Perhaps 'most frugal' would have been a better choice of words.

 

[bavaria]

BTW- if this thread was soley for "facts" it was posted to warn future travelers to avoid Skybus as they appeared to be about to fold. Well they folded. Seems like this factual thread is now unnecessary. ( Again IMHO )

Again, this thread may serve to help those who are concerned about another US based carrier going out of business in the next months. FOUR went out of business in one week alone, and it will happen to another. Readers want and need to know what will happen if that occurs.

Yet again I went back and read the thread, and the only unpleasantness I saw was apparently deleted by a moderator (or so it would seem from the edit fields)

As bicker and a few others of us said, it would be doing a disservice to readers to only say that 'things will be ok'. They WON'T be ok for many readers, and for many travellers holding tickets on other airlines in danger of going out of business.

Personally, I think that both our esteemed moderator and at least one of the frequent travellers here deserves an apology on this thread, but I know that it just me looking for pixie dust now.

Goofy4tink, thank you to you and the other Transportation Board moderators for acting in a consistent and fair manner over the years.

 

[CarolA]

What has me sitting here laughing...

The posters who keep saying that the budget board is "nicer"

OH MY! Right now there is a woman on there very upset that posters on the budget board though that taking Greyhound was too cheap.

And if you want to get flamed... go to the budget board and post "I have an ARM" or "I have credit card debt" Folks come out of the woodwork to trash those poor posters. Plus there is always at least one thread going where someone is trashing someone they saw on TV, a family member, a friend etc for thier "poor money management" And that's nice and loving? WOW!

 

[goofy4tink]

bavaria...you, and the rest of our posters, are most welcome. We mods try our best...sometimes we can't please everyone. Carry on!

 

[debster812]

I'm going to weigh in here, and Diane can tell me hush if she wants.

I would classify myself as a fairly savvy, leisuretraveller. I probably only fly 3 or 4 times a year. Not enough to gain any real 'perks', but I'm slowly, slowly building up those miles.

I think we are very very very lucky to have some very experienced, high milage travellers here, who share their advice and experience. I have learned a TON from the likes of bavaria, CarolA, and others. I've passed that knowledge on to my 10 year old son, and he is at the point now, where he is able to get himself through airport security, on his own pretty much, better than some adults I've seen. Of course part of that is due to all the 'extra security' he's had, courtesy of the TSA, but that's another story, for another time.

I'm sorry that some posters had their feelings hurt, I really am, and I really don't mean this as an 'I told you so', even though it will probably be interpreted as such. For months and months, when people asked about Skybus, there would be the fans, saying, 'great, go for it, it will be fine', and then there would be posters, like myself, basically saying 'caveat emptor'. If ANY delays or cancellations occurred due to weather, mechanical, or bankruptcy, you'd be pretty much hosed. In the past two years, flying on Delta, I was delayed about 4 days total, on 2 separate trips due to snow in the Northeast. This was on a legacy carrier, with presumably, the resources to deal with this stuff.

I hope no one really does leave and stay away, because there is a TON of good, real world, information here, that is very helpful to all of us.

 

[bicker]

If you think this board is a little tough I would suggest never stumbling over to the rumor board.

Agreed!

 

[bicker]

What has me sitting here laughing... The posters who keep saying that the budget board is "nicer"

Without getting into an "us versus them" thing, I have found that the Budget forum typically has a rosier "the consumer is always right" attitude, perhaps to the detriment of some of its readers, than the Transportation forum has, perhaps to the benefit of some of its readers. To be fair, some people will equate unfounded consumer advocacy with being "nice" and will equate a more realistic perspective with being not a "nice".

And if you want to get flamed... go to the budget board and post "I have an ARM" or "I have credit card debt" Folks come out of the woodwork to trash those poor posters.

Gosh, I must have missed those threads. Those are rather distinctly realistic views, the kind I wouldn't expect to see on the Budget forum. I clearly haven't read enough messages on that forum.

 

[CarolA]

I think one thing that I always try to remember when on a message board is that PERCEPTION is the key issue and that's driven a LOT by your attidude. That's the only thing you can control.

I don't really get upset at things said about me or to me on these boards. I have occasionally gotten upset and I realize that the only thing that accomplished was getting me upset.... SO... it's probably not worth it IMHO!

I think that even a simple sentence can be misread. You are using only one of the communication skills on here and it's very easy to misinterpret or to "shoot the messenger" I remember being told that I am a "Disney Problem Guest" and why? I posted on the DIS that I thought getting a room at CSR without power was not acceptable. (Truly the manager asked me if I could live with the room for one night. Now it's July in Florida and my room has no lights or A/C. What would you say? When I posted that I said NO, I was flamed by some posters on the DIS for being too demanding of the management! LOL!!!) That really bought it home for me.

As I look back at my original post, I am standing by it. I am amazed that the airlines are making the goodwill offer they are. None of them are actually making much money right now so to give away flights for free or $50 is very generous of them. This is NOT an industry that's known for that. (They have taken away a lot of the generous things they used to do like breavement fares etc. They have cut back on the perks they are giving Frequent Flyers and they keep nickle and diming us. Giving something away is the "anti-trend" right now in the industry) Lewis and others have pointed out the "PR" aspect which I did not consider when I first saw the offer which probably explains it.

I fail to see why being amazed was seen as such a BAD emotion. But.... as I said it's all in your perception.

 

[MrMarv]

CarolA---Anyone who flamed you for requesting another room because your room had no A/C or lighting is out of their minds; weather in Florida in July is downright brutal, and I'd hope that you'd never stay in such an ineptly managed and maintained hostelry ever again.

If a hotel can't take care of such fundamentals, they ought to close their doors for keeps.

I also have to acknowledge the superb contributions to this board of CarolA, bicker & bavaria; they all spend a heck of a lot more time on the road than I do, and their wisdom should be unabashedly cherished & appreciated by everyone who browses this message board.

Finally, to ''goofy4tink' (aka 'Diane The Magnificent')---thanks for your vigilance!!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

And, with respect, I don't believe it. If another airline came to town, undercutting JetBlue's prices, and providing the same level of service, I think it as likely as not that most of JetBlue's professed "loyal" customers would jump ship.

I don't doubt that. In fact, I'm still wavering between "my" JetBlue and Delta for my return trip... ONLY because Delta leaves forty-five minutes later, giving me more tim... wait. It IS only 45 minutes! I don't know why I thought an hour and a half! Okay, yep, I'm 100% loyal to JetBlue - to the point that, for the foreseeable future, I don't intend to travel anywhere they don't fly from Boston.

 

[uva185]

That's why I said "practically no one", Robert.

And how many passengers are like you, Robert? Not bloody many.

Actually there are a lot more than you would think. Especially if you include anyone with any elite status. Maybe not many people fly 200k miles per year but A LOT of people fly only 1 carrier per year (if not one carrier at least one alliance). Just watch how many people preboard on Monday or Friday flights. I have seen 80% of the plane have status.

Free trips aside loyalty gets me lots of free upgrades (95% of all my flights), bonus miles, shorter lines, free same day changes, extra baggage allowance, and special unwritten perks such as getting the airline to reopen up the plane when I was late.

My miles are getting me a free trip around the world for two visiting Japan, Singapore, South Arfrica, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Switzerland, and Germany including travel on the new Singapore Airlines Airbus 380 in this seat. Anymore questions on loyalty??

 

[bicker]

Actually there are a lot more than you would think. Especially if you include anyone with any elite status.

Which, going back to what I've been saying all along, is not many people at all.

Exercise for the reader:
How many people were left stranded by Skybus?
How many of them flew more than 50,000 miles in the last year on Skybus?

 

[uva185]

Which, going back to what I've been saying all along, is not many people at all.

Exercise for the reader:
How many people were left stranded by Skybus?
How many of them flew more than 50,000 miles in the last year on Skybus?

I must have missed an earlier post somewhere. I agree, I seriously doubt there were any flyers truly loyal to Skybus(t), only their prices.

All I was saying is there are more people than you think that are loyal to airlines in general. I was not referencing Skybus(t) flyers.

 

[bicker]

I think you did miss some earlier messages. I believe I mentioned earlier that I was elite on a few airlines at a time back in the late 1990s. I know all about elite frequent fliers. My point was that there aren't many of them.