Its amazing how much information is out there in the blogsphere.
Kylie, from Columbus, wrote a nice little narrative about her Skybus trip to Portsmouth New Hampshire on her MySpace blog. The two things I took from her post: 1. Tons of kids fly on Skybus and 2. Many of the passengers were new to flying. I'm guessing this market is exactly what Skybus was trying to target. Get people on airplanes that normally wouldn't get on them. It seems to be working. I read in the Columbus dispatch that the new airline transported over 60,000 people in June alone, their first full month of operation.
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5 comments:
Skybus screwed us. They canceled our flight 1 hour before take off
with no explanation. All they offered was a refund or a flight in two
days! In the end we spent over $1000 getting home in time for work.
Skybus was a very expensive mistake for us.
Full story here:
http://www.lyndsaybrill.com/SKYBUS/skybus.htm
Alastair,
I read your experience, and it sounds fairly awful. Thanks for sharing. I'm curious,why was your flight canceled? Was it weather related? Maintenance?
Tom
I hope our skybus flight on Thursday goes well- can't wait to get to Maine!
Fly Skybus!
My wife & I just returned from San Francisco. We flew out of Columbus to Oakland on 8/26 & returned 9/1. While we are not frequent fliers we do fly once to twice a year on average and have experience flying many different carriers. We did NOT pay $10 per seat...and we don't feel slighted one bit. We WILL fly Skybus again, especially in light of the terrible costs of flying out of Cincinnati (our closest major airport).
But we will fly Skybus again for reasons other than cost: they do a great job! Every member of the staff (in flight and on the ground) was polite, courteous, & friendly. Our outgoing & incoming flights were either on-time or early. The food we paid for was good (slightly overpriced BUT, considering the in flight staff is at the lower level of the pay scale...and is so darn pleasant...I don't mind...their service was better than most of the "pros" we've run into from Delta, AA, United, etc.!). Yes..you also will get a sales pitch or two for the "trinkets, treats, and sparkly things" they sell during the flight...but it is NOT high-pressure or bothersome....unless you are one of those people who are annoyed at just about anything. And...please...if you are that type of person, please find some other airline anyway! In fact, the whole Skybus attitude & experience was quite refreshing.
The tips you've probably already read about checking in & printing your boarding passes on-line, getting there early, & standing in line are worth following and remembering. If you can afford the extra $10 for priority seating...do it! If you can't or you just don't care where you sit on a flight...pocket that $10 and enjoy the ride. We don't have young children, so standing in line is no big deal but...if you have children...you'd be wise to bring some entertaining stuff to keep them occupied while you wait.
The planes are new or pretty darn near new. The seats are quite comfortable...and we ought to know after flying 4 1/2 hours one way twice! This is NOT some junky, bargain-basement carrier with crummy planes that may get you there alive. Skybus is...for the average, everyday human being...a great way to get to and from their destinations comfortable and safely.
A few Oakland observations for you: be ready for a different type of airport than Pt. Columbus or Cincy or Indy when you de-plane in Oakland. In comparison, Oakland's airport is less clean, less organized, and generally less friendly than any of the previously mentioned airports. If you take public transportation to get to San Francisco you will take the BART shuttle bus ($3.00 per person) to the Oakland Coliseum stop....change to one of the BART trains (catch the right one...not all of them go to San Fran!) which will vary in cost depending on where you plan to get off in S.F. (you will need to pay BEFORE you go up to the train platform). I strongly suggest you acquaint yourself with both the BART and MUNI systems BEFORE you go and TAKE A COPY OF THE TRANSIT MAPS WITH YOU for reference sake as they are not always as conveniently posted for review as they are in other cities (like Chicago, for example). Also, depending on the time of year you travel, be ready for a higher temperature in Oakland than in San Francisco...so don't just pack clothes for one season if you are weather-sensitive.
We gave Skybus a shot...and were pleasantly suprised. We think you will be, too!
Skybus ruined my Christmas. They cancelled our plane ride home due to mechanical problems and didn't think we were important enough to let us know ahead of time. They have our email and pride selves on being electronic, yet they didn't send out a simple email alerting us to the cancellation. Instead we arrive at airport, return rental car, lug bags across airport, wait in line to check bags (as we already had our boarding passes), then get told the flight is cancelled and they can't get us on another one for 3 days. We had options to go rent car and drive home; wait for 3 days; or rebook on another airline (but none that go to the airport where Skybus goes and our car is).... so in end we shell out about $1000 for flights that still leave us 200 miles from home; train; taxi and home.. all in about 36 hours. Thanks Skybus for the alert!!
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