Ohio Entrant Aims At Alternate Airports

Columbus, Ohio-based Skybus Airlines this month will launch what it calls a next-generation low-fare airline, serving an initial eight destinations including secondary airports outside of Los Angeles, Boston and Seattle. The carrier claims it can offer fares up to 65 percent lower than competitors by serving more affordable airports, minimizing staff and selling add-ons to its bare-bones flight services.

With a fleet of Airbus A319s, Skybus on May 22 will launch daily flights to Burbank and Oakland, Calif.; Kansas City, Mo.; Portsmouth, N.H.; and Richmond, Va. Service to Bellingham, Wash.; Fort Lauderdale and Greensboro, N.C., will commence the following week. Skybus said it has agreements to acquire more than 70 aircraft during the next five years.

Skybus promises "10 seats for $10 on every flight, every day." CEO Bill Diffenderffer in a statement said the fares "will always be offered. They are not promotional fares that will go away in a couple of weeks." Additionally, customers can check luggage for $5 per bag and purchase priority boarding for $10 per passenger. Skybus said it does not allow passengers' food and drinks on board, as those items are for sale.

Receptivity for such an airline among local corporate travel buyers has been mixed, said TammyTroilo-Krings, CEO and founder of Columbus, Ohio-based corporate travel consultancy Troilo & Associates. "We've had corporations here on both ends of the spectrum and everywhere in between as to whether or not they want to support the carrier and offer it as an option," she said.

As a way to minimize staff, Skybus said passengers book exclusively online and check in online or through airport kiosks. Also, Skybus offers no call centers. "If you have a question or need information about a flight, you can find the answer quickly at our online Help Center. Or purchase e-mail, pager or cell phone notification and we'll contact you with up-to-the-minute information about your flight," Skybus notes on its Web site.

While the carrier's route map suggests it serves Boston, Skybus service takes passengers to Portsmouth International Airport, 44 miles from the city. Likewise, passengers will have to travel 31 miles to Vancouver and 77 miles to Seattle from their arrival point in Bellingham, Wash.

"It's a very bare-bones type of operation," Troilo-Krings said, "but Columbus is a great city to support up-and-coming airlines."