In a few weeks, a new low-cost airline called Skybus will start flying from east and west coast cities to Columbus, Ohio.
The big lure will be $10 airfares.
Skybus is trying to pattern itself after some very low cost European carriers like Ryanair. The company says, “We’ve developed a very simple operating model that produces a dramatically lower cost structure to fly people safely and reliably from where they are to where they want to go.”
What are their secrets for cutting costs?
*MOUSE PRINT:
1. They have no phone number!Â
“Seriously. We’d love to chat, but those phone banks are expensive.â€
2. They charge you for everything (except using the toilet):
– “The first two [checked] bags are 5 bucks apiece.â€
– “That also goes for blankets and pillows–which, by the way, you get to keep if you buy.â€
– Want a good seat? “You can pay 10 bucks extra to board our brand-new A319 airplanes before anyone else.â€
3. You must buy their food if you want to eat: Â
“Hungry? Thirsty? Bring cash. Oh, and don’t sneak food onboard unless you brought enough for the whole plane.â€
4. Don’t expect many employees:
 “… to keep our costs low, at most airports our agents serve “double dutyâ€, moving from the check in counter to the gate when it’s time to board a flight. This means that if you arrive at the airport less than 30 minutes from your scheduled flight, there may not be agents available at the ticket counter to assist you.â€
5. You won’t find Skybus at some of your favorite airports: They use less crowded, cheaper, and less convenient airports such as Portsmouth, NH (instead of Boston), and Bellingham (instead of Seattle).
6. Got a complaint?
“We can’t guarantee a personal response to your message…â€
7. Fares “from†$10:
They may only have as few as 10 seats at that low price.
Despite these quirks and unexpected “features”, Skybus may revolutionize low-cost air travel in the US, and put pressure on other airlines to lower fares.
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I LOOKED AT THEIR WEB SITE. IT IS STRAIGHT FORWARD AND EASY TO USE. I DON’T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE ABOUT BRINGING FOOD ON THE PLANE. I WONDER IF THEY WILL HAVE TSA DO LUGGAGE SEARCHES TO REMOVE ANY FOOD? WILL OVER THE COUNTER DRUGS BE THE NEXT BANNED ITEM ON SKYBUS? I’LL GIVE THEM A CHANCE NEXT TIME I FLY TO CMH WHICH WILL BE NEVER. ANY START UP AIRLINE THAT RESTRICTS CARRY ON FOOD AS A HEADLINER IN MY OPINION DOESN’T HAVE ENOUGH BRAINS TO HIRE THE MINIMUM WAGE QUALIFIED PERSONAL TO OPERATE AN AIRLINE. IF MY PILOT IS STARVING, CAN HE/SHE FLY A PLANE SAFELY? THINK I’D RATHER CHANCE IT ON AN AIRLINE IN CHAPTER 11 FIRST.
Sounds like a pretty good copy of Ryanair to me. No service whatsoever, even if your flight is cancelled, but incredibly cheap in the mean time. Actually, I think it’s nice that they are fairly straightforward about being cheap.
They don’t make fake promises, they don’t make any promises. Mouseprint should cheer that on.
I wonder if they are really as cheap as Ryanair, which for instance does not allow color printers in its entire company.
BTW: Ryanair is largely inspired on Southwest. This is surprising since SouthWest is proud of being a loving comany and Ryanair is mostly an admitted bully.
Calling this “mouse print” is unfair; it’s all pretty clear on the web site. “Mouse print” implies trickery; this is a straightforward tradeoff. They tell you what you do & don’t get for that low price, and you can decide whether to buy, or fly with someone else.
Personally, I have no interest in subjecting myself to one of their flights, but for others, maybe it’s worth it.
Sounds like an interesting idea, but if they’re going to hold you “hostage” for up to 7 hours (if they do cross-country flights, they had better allow for all of the human necessities without cost…which includes bringing your own food on the plane.
(In a similar vein, I find it totally unreasonable that sports stadiums seem to never allow you to bring food and/or drinks in…there was one time they refused to allow me to bring in a small water bottle, then they sold the exact same water bottle for $3 inside!)
BTW I didn’t check out their site, but I wonder how many $10 fares they offer and how much if you can’t get that fare…
It’s unreasonable for them to not allow water. And good luck not allowing a diabetic to bring some sort of food online.
The real “mouse print” for Skybus & other super-low-cost carriers is that the quoted price is not the price you pay. Much like Ticketmaster, they add various fees and surcharges to that. There is no seat on this airline that can actually be purchased for $10.
@Jasper & @John: The inspiration from Southwest is in how they view their service. They do not generally see themselves as competing with legacy airlines but with busses, trains, and even your car. This is why (for example), luggage is not transfered, nor are connecting flights guaranteed. This is also part of the justification for using the less-crowded airports; since they are not worrying about connections, it doesn’t matter that no major carriers use these airports.
@ Adler: You are corect: they mostly care about getting you where you want to go in one flight. Do the ‘big’ carriers do? Usually not. They care about getting your money, and then fly your around the country all over the place, except where you need to be. The modus operandi of these price fighters is interesting because they challenge the status quo of the ‘big’ airlines.
Simple examples:
* Up to half the load of planes is taken up by luggage. Why not stimulate customers to pack light by charging them per checked item or by weigh? It saves fuel cost when a lighter plane moves around
* On regular flights you’re not supposed to bring food or drink because you are served. Yeah rught, that was in the old days. Nowadays, you are supposed to be happy with a cup of water and four little pretzels. Why not let customers bring their own snacks? Saves in flight personel and again weight, because people will bring what they want, and the plane does not need to bring a whole variety of stuff that’s not used.
I am not a fan of all measures the price fighters impose on their customers. And I am not sure if their way of working is not going to lead to a complete race to the bottom. However, I do like that they challenge the status quo of the ‘big airlines’, who are very much stuck in a way of dong things that is way out of time.
Hey, this airline is great… If you want to go to Columbus or live there…
MY HUSBAND & I HAVE USED SKYBUS AND FIND IT VERY AFFORDABLE, IT I
IS REALLY A “BUS ” BUT IN THE AIR, IT GETS YOU FROM POINT A TO POINT B IF YOU WANT MORE THAN THAT THEN GO TO THE OTHERS AND PAY ALOT MORE,BUT FOR SHORT TRIPS THEY ARE GREAT.MOST PEOPLE PACK WAY MORE THEN THEY REALLY NEED TO TAKE YOU ARE ALLOWED TWO CARRY ONS AND YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO PACK WHAT YOU NEED IN TWO CA JUST KEERRY ONS.LEARN TO KEEP IT SIMPLE.
I liked using the skybus. Of course I’m a cheapie and ten dollars is all they’re going to get out of me.
UPDATE:
——————————————————————————–
Skybus Announcement
Skybus Airlines will cease all operations effective Saturday, April 5.
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.
We deeply regret the impact this decision will have on our employees and their families, customers, vendors, suppliers, airport officials and others in the cities in which we have operated. Our financial condition is such that our Board of Directors felt it had no choice but to cease operations.
Passengers holding reservations for Skybus flights scheduled to depart on or after Saturday, April 5, 2008 should contact their credit card companies to arrange to apply for a refund. More information for customers and others will be made available on the Skybus web site (www.skybus.com) as it becomes available.
All flights for Friday, April 4 will be completed. Passengers holding reservations on flights for Friday, April 4 should check in for their flight at a Skybus kiosk at the airport instead of the Skybus website