Skybus to start flying May 20

[BigMeat]

So what if the stock skyrockets? By the way...BUCKS WIN! ON TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! WE ARE BUCKEYES WE ARE KILLER NUTS!

If the stock skyrockets then great. Call it a bonus. But "what if" doesnt pay the bills. 65,000 dollars to start as a captain of all things in the airbus is just sickening.

 

[glasspilot1]

I don't give 'em long.... Remember Legend?

That's what I said about Jetblue when it started! You just never know with these startups.

 

[DH106]

I don't give them long, either. I think the point here is that:
1) There isn't sufficient room in the market for another "JetBlue."
2) CMH is hardly a "business mecca." They won't be able to build a market out of CMH.
3) AmericaWest failed at making CMH a hub -- for good reason.
4) Their payscale is inviting high attrition. You can get away with high attrition with a Beech 1900 operation, but not an Airbus operation. When the rampers, flight attendants, and even pilots end-up quitting, that's a big airplane to keep sitting on the ramp.

I'm telling you... the top executives are setting up a "get rich quick" scheme for themselves, because they know it's going to tank.

Finally, note this: as someone pointed out, one of their top priorities, apparently, was setting up a crappy online store to buy Skybus mugs and T-shirts. Are these guys serious? An online store to sell T-shirts? Is this a professionally-managed airline, or a flying club?

 

[Vne]

Funny a lot of what is said about SB new hires was said years ago about a intra-state Texas airline. I think most of those new hire pilots who took a chance are now millionaires.

 

[DH106]

Vne, good point. But, the key difference is that when Southwest started, they actually had a market that needed to be served. I'm saying that Skybus doesn't have a market.

Another questionable sign: if you note on their Skybus News section of their website, they haven't posted news in four months! I might not be a rocket scientist, but I wouldn't say that their marketing machine is working overtime (the way that you see with Southwest and Jetblue).

Yet another questionable sign: they've stated that operations will start in Spring/Summer 2007. Well, that's just around the corner. Yet, I can't find a way to book a flight. Oh, and I can't even determine where they'll be flying to!

This is just a guess, but if you asked how much of the U.S. population knows about Skybus at this point in their game, I would guess about 5% of the Columbus, OH population. Their marketing is non-existant. They're not going to make it at this rate.

 

[crashpad]

If everybody donated say $5 on this board and we pooled it ................

WE COULD PURCHASE THEM AND FARM OUT TO THE INDONESION PILOTS .......AND HOOKERS....WE COULD CALL THEM HOSTITUTES........50,000MILES AND YOU GET TO BE A MEMBER OF THE "LOVE YOU LONG TIME" CLUB!!

 

[TWA]

Hokay, honest to god question here, how many planes do these people actually have on property? So far I have found evidence of two, one painted a$$ orange and one as a giant nationwide billboard.

From personal experience, their online t-shirt store took literally 10 minutes to put up. Anyone with an IQ equivalent to Forest Gump's can create one on cafepress.

Maybe we take the $5 and get every skybus employee a t-shirt that says "face it, i f---ed up, i work for skybus"

 

[buxflyr]

Maybe we take the $5 and get every skybus employee a t-shirt that says "face it, i f---ed up, i work for skybus"

haha..now thats funny. But...you might have copyright infringement on Mesa.

 

[mynameisjim]

Uncertainty Of Finances Halts Skybus

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9F0CE1D61530F932A25754C0A965958260


Skybus, a fledgling no-frills charter service offering low fares between Florida and the Northeast, stopped flying June 29 amid conflicting reports over unpaid bills. Nevertheless, Skybus said it was grounded only temporarily and would resume service soon.


Because Skybus was a public charter and lacked approvals from the Government to operate its own flights, it hired another charter carrier to serve its routes. Its most recent carrier, Express One of Dallas, said it stopped flying for Skybus because it was owed more than $500,000 from the Fort Lauderdale-based company, which began operating last September, using Jet Expeditions. Skybus said it had not paid Express One because it was unable to collect more than $1 million in ticket revenues from CD Travel, an agency in Fort Lauderdale that handles its reservations and ticketing. CD officials said Skybus has received every dollar it was owed.


Skybus also said it was owed about $600,000 from processors of its credit card sales. A person familiar with the company's affairs said the processors were witholding payment because too many Skybus customers were charging back their Skybus tickets.


Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation is investigating Skybus's finances. The investigation would not block the charter from submitting a new prospectus for the Government to review, but that process typically requires 10 days. Skybus officials said they hoped to receive quicker approval, although none was imminent as of the beginning of this month.

Skybus was founded last year by roughly 100 investors, including former Pan Am, Eastern and Midway employees. Using four DC-9's, it offered service from Newark; Chicago; Worcester, Mass., and three Florida cities -- Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and St. Petersburg. Most one-way flights on Skybus cost between $99 and $119, but the passengers paid extra for meals, beverages and check-in baggage.



By ADAM BRYANT
Published: July 11, 1993

 

[buxflyr]

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9F0CE1D61530F932A25754C0A965958260


Skybus, a fledgling no-frills charter service offering low fares between Florida and the Northeast, stopped flying June 29 amid conflicting reports over unpaid bills. Nevertheless, Skybus said it was grounded only temporarily and would resume service soon.


Because Skybus was a public charter and lacked approvals from the Government to operate its own flights, it hired another charter carrier to serve its routes. Its most recent carrier, Express One of Dallas, said it stopped flying for Skybus because it was owed more than $500,000 from the Fort Lauderdale-based company, which began operating last September, using Jet Expeditions. Skybus said it had not paid Express One because it was unable to collect more than $1 million in ticket revenues from CD Travel, an agency in Fort Lauderdale that handles its reservations and ticketing. CD officials said Skybus has received every dollar it was owed.


Skybus also said it was owed about $600,000 from processors of its credit card sales. A person familiar with the company's affairs said the processors were witholding payment because too many Skybus customers were charging back their Skybus tickets.


Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation is investigating Skybus's finances. The investigation would not block the charter from submitting a new prospectus for the Government to review, but that process typically requires 10 days. Skybus officials said they hoped to receive quicker approval, although none was imminent as of the beginning of this month.

Skybus was founded last year by roughly 100 investors, including former Pan Am, Eastern and Midway employees. Using four DC-9's, it offered service from Newark; Chicago; Worcester, Mass., and three Florida cities -- Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and St. Petersburg. Most one-way flights on Skybus cost between $99 and $119, but the passengers paid extra for meals, beverages and check-in baggage.


By ADAM BRYANT
Published: July 11, 1993

Not that it matters, but that was completely ill revel ant to this airline...other than you wanted to post "fledgling" and "no frills".
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