My BIL and SIL were to leave Wednesday on Skybus for a college visit for their DD. Now they are scrambling. Their most affordable alternative is to rent a car from Ct. and drive. Cheaper flights are available out of Albany and Providence RI for now. Leaving out of BDL to points in N. Carolina is expensive. Leaving anywhere at the last minute is expensive. I hope no one has plans on SkyBus.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Skybus' wings are clipped
It announces cancellation of all flights, intent to file for bankruptcy
By Fran Daniel and Mary Giunca
JOURNAL REPORTERS
The discount airline from Columbus, Ohio, that made Piedmont Triad International Airport a hub in January said it is shutting down today and will file for bankruptcy protection on Monday.
Airline officials said in a short statement that all Skybus flights are canceled, effective this morning.
The airline advised people who hold Skybus tickets to contact their credit-card companies for information on how to obtain refunds. More information for customers and others will be provided on the Skybus Web site at www.skybus.com after the formal bankruptcy filing.
“We deeply regret this decision and the impact this will have on our employees and their families, our customers, our vendors and other partners, and the communities in which we have been operating,” said Michael Hodge, the chief executive of Skybus. “Skybus struggled to overcome the combination of rising jet-fuel costs and a slowing economic environment. These two issues proved to be insurmountable for a new carrier.”
Several passengers at PTI were stunned last night when they learned that the airline was stopping operations so fast.
Kelly Cochran and Shannon Mullahy of Charlotte are teachers with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. They had $10 tickets and were planning to fly to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., last night for spring break when Cochran’s mother called from Columbus, relaying news reports that Skybus was shutting down.
Cochran said that when employees at the Skybus counter didn’t seem to know what was going on and other passengers were talking about the airline closing, they decided not to board and retrieved their luggage, rather than risk being stranded in Florida. They were going back to Charlotte last night.
“I am so disappointed because I already have like five other flights scheduled with Skybus all the way through next August,” Cochran said.
She moved from Columbus to Charlotte a little less than two years ago and has flown Skybus in the past.
Another upset passenger was Will Robinson, who flew into Greensboro from Philadelphia to stay with friends for the weekend.
Robinson said he saw Skybus employees coming off the plane, and some seemed angry.
Passengers in the terminal had already heard the news.
“A passenger who was waiting for a flight said, ‘I hope you’re not waiting for a flight on Skybus because they just went out of business,’” Robinson said. “I thought he was joking.”
He said that for him, the situation is an inconvenience that will cut into his personal plans.
“Basically, my plan of attack is to go on the Internet and start looking at flights and stuff and see what they’re offering,” he said.
He said he’s more concerned for the airline’s employees.
“A lot of people lost their jobs and that’s worse than me getting stranded,” Robinson said. “A mom or dad has to go home and tell their kids they’re not working anymore. There’s always another resource for getting back.”
PTI officials had high hopes that Skybus would stick around and continue to help stop the decline of passengers and high fares that had people in the Triad driving to Charlotte and Raleigh in recent years.
“We’re obviously disappointed that it did not work out, but we will continue our search for a low-fare carrier to serve this airport,” Ted Johnson, the executive director of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority, said last night.
Johnson said that the airport won’t have the higher passenger loads that it has had for the past 2½ months, but he thinks that it’s a little too early to determine the effects of the loss of Skybus in terms of fares and passenger numbers.
The chief executive of Skybus had resigned on March 24, just a couple of weeks after Skybus had announced that it was reducing the number of flights out of PTI from 16 to 11.
The airline’s vice president of operations, Bud Sittig, resigned Wednesday.
Skybus, known for its bright- orange airplanes and $10 fares, had 80 employees at PTI, with plans to create a total of 375 jobs and spend $350 million on aircraft and equipment.
Its early success was largely a result of the work of Bill Diffenderffer, the chief executive who helped start the company before his March resignation.
Diffenderffer’s tireless promotion was crucial in persuading wary PTI and local elected officials to make an investment in another low-fare carrier.
Diffenderffer secured incentives from the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority worth $2.15 a passenger for each flight connected to new service at PTI. Skybus also has received commitments for $950,000 in local incentives and $100,000 from the N.C. Department of Transportation for marketing initiatives in the cities that Skybus serves.
The demise of an airline is not new at PTI. In the past 15 years, PTI has seen an exodus of low-fare carriers.
Skybus will be the eighth discount airline to have failed at PTI, following closely on the heels of Allegiant Air, which announced on March 28 that it was shutting down operations. Allegiant, which served the Triad for barely more than a year, stopped its nonstop flights four to five times a week to Orlando and three times a week to Tampa Bay, Fla. It had previously shut down service to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Other discount carriers that have not made it at PTI are AirTran Airways, Shuttle America, Eastwind Airlines, People Express, Continental Lite and Independence Air.
Mike Hodge, the former chief financial officer for Skybus, who replaced Diffenderffer, said in an interview March 27 that Skybus would succeed, both overall and in Greensboro.
“We chose the Piedmont Triad region after much consideration, and we still believe that it’s going to be a very successful effort,” Hodge said. “We’ve got our schedule set through the summer, and we don’t plan to make any changes to that.”
Skybus began operating on May 22, 2007. Before shutting down, it operated 11 aircraft, making 80 daily flights to 15 cities around the country and had about 450 employees overall, the majority of them based in Columbus.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Skybus' wings are clipped
It announces cancellation of all flights, intent to file for bankruptcy
By Fran Daniel and Mary Giunca
JOURNAL REPORTERS
The discount airline from Columbus, Ohio, that made Piedmont Triad International Airport a hub in January said it is shutting down today and will file for bankruptcy protection on Monday.
Airline officials said in a short statement that all Skybus flights are canceled, effective this morning.
The airline advised people who hold Skybus tickets to contact their credit-card companies for information on how to obtain refunds. More information for customers and others will be provided on the Skybus Web site at www.skybus.com after the formal bankruptcy filing.
“We deeply regret this decision and the impact this will have on our employees and their families, our customers, our vendors and other partners, and the communities in which we have been operating,” said Michael Hodge, the chief executive of Skybus. “Skybus struggled to overcome the combination of rising jet-fuel costs and a slowing economic environment. These two issues proved to be insurmountable for a new carrier.”
Several passengers at PTI were stunned last night when they learned that the airline was stopping operations so fast.
Kelly Cochran and Shannon Mullahy of Charlotte are teachers with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. They had $10 tickets and were planning to fly to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., last night for spring break when Cochran’s mother called from Columbus, relaying news reports that Skybus was shutting down.
Cochran said that when employees at the Skybus counter didn’t seem to know what was going on and other passengers were talking about the airline closing, they decided not to board and retrieved their luggage, rather than risk being stranded in Florida. They were going back to Charlotte last night.
“I am so disappointed because I already have like five other flights scheduled with Skybus all the way through next August,” Cochran said.
She moved from Columbus to Charlotte a little less than two years ago and has flown Skybus in the past.
Another upset passenger was Will Robinson, who flew into Greensboro from Philadelphia to stay with friends for the weekend.
Robinson said he saw Skybus employees coming off the plane, and some seemed angry.
Passengers in the terminal had already heard the news.
“A passenger who was waiting for a flight said, ‘I hope you’re not waiting for a flight on Skybus because they just went out of business,’” Robinson said. “I thought he was joking.”
He said that for him, the situation is an inconvenience that will cut into his personal plans.
“Basically, my plan of attack is to go on the Internet and start looking at flights and stuff and see what they’re offering,” he said.
He said he’s more concerned for the airline’s employees.
“A lot of people lost their jobs and that’s worse than me getting stranded,” Robinson said. “A mom or dad has to go home and tell their kids they’re not working anymore. There’s always another resource for getting back.”
PTI officials had high hopes that Skybus would stick around and continue to help stop the decline of passengers and high fares that had people in the Triad driving to Charlotte and Raleigh in recent years.
“We’re obviously disappointed that it did not work out, but we will continue our search for a low-fare carrier to serve this airport,” Ted Johnson, the executive director of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority, said last night.
Johnson said that the airport won’t have the higher passenger loads that it has had for the past 2½ months, but he thinks that it’s a little too early to determine the effects of the loss of Skybus in terms of fares and passenger numbers.
The chief executive of Skybus had resigned on March 24, just a couple of weeks after Skybus had announced that it was reducing the number of flights out of PTI from 16 to 11.
The airline’s vice president of operations, Bud Sittig, resigned Wednesday.
Skybus, known for its bright- orange airplanes and $10 fares, had 80 employees at PTI, with plans to create a total of 375 jobs and spend $350 million on aircraft and equipment.
Its early success was largely a result of the work of Bill Diffenderffer, the chief executive who helped start the company before his March resignation.
Diffenderffer’s tireless promotion was crucial in persuading wary PTI and local elected officials to make an investment in another low-fare carrier.
Diffenderffer secured incentives from the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority worth $2.15 a passenger for each flight connected to new service at PTI. Skybus also has received commitments for $950,000 in local incentives and $100,000 from the N.C. Department of Transportation for marketing initiatives in the cities that Skybus serves.
The demise of an airline is not new at PTI. In the past 15 years, PTI has seen an exodus of low-fare carriers.
Skybus will be the eighth discount airline to have failed at PTI, following closely on the heels of Allegiant Air, which announced on March 28 that it was shutting down operations. Allegiant, which served the Triad for barely more than a year, stopped its nonstop flights four to five times a week to Orlando and three times a week to Tampa Bay, Fla. It had previously shut down service to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Other discount carriers that have not made it at PTI are AirTran Airways, Shuttle America, Eastwind Airlines, People Express, Continental Lite and Independence Air.
Mike Hodge, the former chief financial officer for Skybus, who replaced Diffenderffer, said in an interview March 27 that Skybus would succeed, both overall and in Greensboro.
“We chose the Piedmont Triad region after much consideration, and we still believe that it’s going to be a very successful effort,” Hodge said. “We’ve got our schedule set through the summer, and we don’t plan to make any changes to that.”
Skybus began operating on May 22, 2007. Before shutting down, it operated 11 aircraft, making 80 daily flights to 15 cities around the country and had about 450 employees overall, the majority of them based in Columbus.
She sent out an email basically saying they were screwed. Hopefully he can find another job quickly. He left United for Skybus. 
