Skybus ready to roll, er, fly
TEXT OF STORYSCOTT JAGOW: Make way for a new airline: Skybus starts flying this week out of Columbus, Ohio. The tickets are really cheap, but there might be a reason it’s called Skybus. Marketplace’s Janet Babin reports from North Carolina Public Radio.
JANET BABIN: The Skybus strategy is to fly into and out of smaller airports on the fringes of major cities.
Aside from the handful of $10 seats, it’ll charge about 50 percent less than other airlines, but Aviation Consultant Mike Boyd says passengers better get ready for some barebones accommodations.
MIKE BOYD: If you want to board early you have to pay them an extra $10. If they want to take a sandwich on board, they’re disallowed from doing that.
Really? You’re not allowed to take any food or drinks on board the plane? So what happens if you’re caught with a bottle of water and a Clif Bar?
BOB TENENBAUM: No, it will not be confiscated. No, you will not be ejected from the airplane.
That’s Bob Tenenbaum with Skybus. He says the flight attendant will just ask you not to do it again. Tenenbaum says the airline charges cheaper fares in part by selling stuff to passengers on board.
Skybus will initially fly into four markets, including Burbank, California and Portsmouth New Hampshire. It’ll add more destinations in just a few weeks.
I’m Janet Babin for Marketplace.
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