SkyBus not done quite yet, might fly again

[troll565]

Skybus founder 'working on a plan' to revive carrier​

Skybus founder John Weikle is "working on a plan" to get the ultra-low-cost carrier back in the air again, according to the News & Record of Greensboro, N.C. Weikle's comments on reviving Skybus came just days after the carrier halted flights, stranded passengers and declared bankruptcy.


"John Weikle said Monday night from Dayton, Ohio, that he had been working all weekend to build a team that could reorganize the airline and restore service," the News & Record writes. "I wrote a letter to the board today and said we've got to find a way to save this — save these 450 jobs," Weikle tells the paper.


How does he plan to do it? Weikle says the carrier still has about $10 million in cash to work with, which he believes will be enough seed money to lure new investors. The News & Record writes "Weikle is working with Mark Sparling, his vice president for finance during the founding of Skybus. Sparling and Weikle left Skybus not long before it began operations because they disagreed with the board’s direction and its choice for chief executive officer, Bill Diffenderffer."

 

[CA1900]

10-to-1 the shysters try to get millions out of Greensboro for a new "hub." Because the $57M of incentives that Columbus gave them worked out so well...

 

[fam62c]

Wow, 10 million in cash; that should certainly be enough to "lure" new investors in an era of $110/bbl oil. The sad part is that in this industry they may very well find someone crazy enough to bankroll Skybus II. If I were the aircraft lessors I would repo those planes pronto well I could still find an asian or mideastern customer for them. If Skybus starts again and buys the farm a year from now there may be a worldwide recession and the planes might have to go to the desert. I wonder if he's using any of the 10 million to keep those 450 employees on the payroll so he will have trained employees for a restart?

 

[Colonel Savage]

It's sad to see someone corrupt and manipulative like that raising expectations and hopes of the former employees after luring them away from their previous employment once before and then screwing them.

The business model was a scam, the hyped up stock options plan for the employees was a scam, and the cut and run investors were corrupt.

They have a lot of ba!!s, I'll give 'em that, to say "Oh, let's try that again! It was so much fun the first time!", but it's time for those opportunistic speculators to do the rest of the industry a huge favor and go to he!!.

And I wasn't even there!

 

[climbhappy]

the greensboro airport already pledged 52 million in terminal improvements. did that last fall.



sounds like somebody with pointy cowboy boots needs to come over and kick the skull of skybus in , so it doesn't move anymore. then it's dead.

weilke is the idiot who thinks charley west can support a low cost airline.

 

[vixin]

I wonder how many employees would return to such a great company?

 

[F/O]

Yah, OK. It's a little late for an April fool, bro. Skybus will fly when pigs fly.

 

[SpauldingSmails]

What's more entertaining that watching a train-wreck? Watching it wreck over and over again.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

I wonder how many employees would return to such a great company?

We could have never imagined that pilots would work for less than regional pay on an LLC. But then again

 

[flyipilot]

LOL....I want to know who the worlds dumbest bank is that is going to help them get back in the air. How stupid is it to even think of starting up an airline in this economy. I say let them.....it is fun watching them come and go. I just hope you former employees do not go back but, if you do..you know now you really are desperate. I would rather push carts at a Wal-Mart parking lot. I think they should start a railroad...yes...Railbus...or Skytrain...either way it would be better for the aviation community.

 

[JJET44]

Anybody remember the movie Brewster's million?
Richard Pryer (Sp) had to blow something like $30m without anything to show for it, and if successful, he would inherit $300m.

Maybe Skywreck can find someone like that!!!!!

 

[Princedietrich]

Maybe they should give Monty Brewster a call?

Awesome movie, btw.

 

[Colonel Savage]

I think they should start a railroad...yes...Skytrain...

I'm afraid that name has already been marketed, by this man....


Sir Freddie Laker, who along with Jimmy Carter, first designed "air travel for the Masses" with Freddie Laker's Skytrain in the late 70's.

Of course it lost a quarter BILLION pounds, and became the largest corporate failure in Britian's history at the time.

Needless to say, it was used as the template for Airline Deregulation in the US, also ushered in by Jimmy Carter and Alfred Kahn.

Will we ever learn...

 

[DrewBlows]

If you gave John Weikle $10 million to start an airline and me $10 million to flush down the toilet, I wonder who would run out of money first?

 

[pilotss]

Maybe

Maybe this time they will cut salaries in half of what they were and give employees double the stock.

Wouldn't touch it with your ten foot pole.

 

[FurloughedAgain]

Maybe Padre' will buy the airplanes to kick-start Legacy Airlines up in Utica again.

Wonder how many of us would make the trek for Syracuse for yet another "job-fair" again. <grin>

 

[eyeamthechosen1]

I thought it was a little fishy when the recruiter at the aeroservice job fair said,"and you'll upgrade within a year" oh really???? And that was about 5 months ago give or take a bid or two

 

[MD11Drvr]

Aw come on guys this man is just trying to realize his American dream to make a small fortune in aviation like so many have before him.


So far he is doing it right as he started with a Large fortune.

 

[inline]

I'm afraid that name has already been marketed, by this man....


Sir Freddie Laker, who along with Jimmy Carter, first designed "air travel for the Masses" with Freddie Laker's Skytrain in the late 70's.

Of course it lost a quarter BILLION pounds, and became the largest corporate failure in Britian's history at the time.

Needless to say, it was used as the template for Airline Deregulation in the US, also ushered in by Jimmy Carter and Alfred Kahn.

Will we ever learn...

The only thing JC ever did right in his life was signing the deregulation bill. Before that, very few people flew. Since, it has tripled. The market decides who makes it and who doesn't. Not government.

 

[bailey3083]

First I feel bad for anyone to lose your job. I know how bad it felt when Independence closed down so for all the Skybus employees I wish you the best.

 

[PCL_128]

The only thing JC ever did right in his life was signing the deregulation bill. Before that, very few people flew. Since, it has tripled. The market decides who makes it and who doesn't. Not government.

Carter was an abject failure in everything he did, and deregulation was no exception. Air travel didn't grow because of deregulation, it grew because of a rapidly expanding economy during the 80s and 90s. It would have still happened if we would have stayed regulated, but the industry would be a hell of a lot more stable. Deregulation is a failed experiment. Time to go back to what works.

 

[inline]

Carter was an abject failure in everything he did, and deregulation was no exception. Air travel didn't grow because of deregulation, it grew because of a rapidly expanding economy during the 80s and 90s. It would have still happened if we would have stayed regulated, but the industry would be a hell of a lot more stable. Deregulation is a failed experiment. Time to go back to what works.

Wrong. Deregulation works. Even the socialist Europeans have largely deregulated. The instability is largely caused by fuel spikes, I don't know how regulating the industry is going to change that.

 

[PCL_128]

Regulating the industry will provide fare controls and subsidies to allow the airlines to remain profitable during these ridiculous fuel price spikes. In other words, the costs would get passed on to the consumer like they should be.

Deregulation has been a nightmare. End it now!

 

[TWA]

I heard that skybus was paying $3.69/gal for Jet-A out of CMH. Sounds like they had absolutely no idea what they were doing when it came to fuel (or anything else, for that matter).

 

[GogglesPisano]

Deregulation has been a nightmare. End it now!

I'd bet most economists would argue the opposite. Fares have come down drastically since deregulation and more people are flying than ever before. The public has benefited -- labor has not. Who do you think the public feels is more important?

One may argue that service is much worse, but the public values price over service -- as indicated by the market.

Plus, there are far more flying jobs now than there were during regulation, when getting a job at a major was a longshot and depended on which squadron you flew for. Albeit, the pay has come down drastically as well.

 

[PCL_128]

Those are common misconceptions about this issue. Fares have come down slightly, but not dramatically. The big fare cuts that were promised with deregulation never became a reality. Instead, minor fare decreases happened slowly over three decades while the quality and reliability of the product took a huge nosedive. The consumer has been screwed monumentally in this deal.

As to the growth of the industry, that isn't due to deregulation, it was due to the massive economic growth of the overall economy during the '80s and '90s. Even without deregulation, the industry would still have grown to its current size, possibly larger. The difference is that quality and reliability would be a lot better, and the employees wouldn't have been raped.

 

[Publishers]

Whoever thinks fares have not dropped is not looking. It is like saying Southwest has had no effect on air transportation. If you factor for inflation, look at the communities that retained service or increased, on just about any level, the passenger gained. Has service levels declined, or, has the passenger indicated they want to get from A to B and do not care about the incidentals. Is flying as romantic, is the silver haired pilot still treated like a king, no. Are even astronauts thought of the way they were, probalby not. But if you want to fly from Columbus to Chicago today, you are paying much less than before deregulation even without adjusting the numbers for inflation.
To say that the airline world would have grown to this size or larger in the regulated world because we have an excellent economy is totally BS. If anything, it is the other way around. The economy grew as people could travel more reasonably and the world shrunk from an economic point of view.

 

[asaflyer]

Regulating the industry will provide fare controls and subsidies to allow the airlines to remain profitable during these ridiculous fuel price spikes. In other words, the costs would get passed on to the consumer like they should be.

Deregulation has been a nightmare. End it now!

He's a communist. Come on guys, let's get him!!

 

[IronCityBlue]

Carter was an abject failure in everything he did, and deregulation was no exception. Air travel didn't grow because of deregulation, it grew because of a rapidly expanding economy during the 80s and 90s. It would have still happened if we would have stayed regulated, but the industry would be a hell of a lot more stable. Deregulation is a failed experiment. Time to go back to what works.

Easy on Carter. He gave us "right on red". :erm:

 

[macdu]

First I feel bad for anyone to lose your job. I know how bad it felt when Independence closed down so for all the Skybus employees I wish you the best.

Sorry, not me. I will forgive a lot of indiscretions but going to work for a company such as Skybus that was clearly a direct assault on every other pilots job currently out there was just unconscionable. This goes for the F/A's too. These men and women who whored themselves out to work at this place were looking at the rest of the industry workers you and me, and flipping us all off. I sincerely feel they got what they deserve. Best of all they will be looking for jobs now were you and I work, especially if you fly Airbuses. Thank goodness we are not hiring.