2008 Woodie Awards
SkyBus takes off by crashing prices
Jaclyn Goldberg
Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Features
"I'm wicked excited!" exclaimed first-year Melissa Madden about the new airline Skybus.
Madden, a native of Boston, Mass., spends almost $400 every time she flies home for break. By using Skybus she could pay less than one-fourth the cost.
Skybus, which promotes a "first 10 seats for 10 dollars" deal, creates a more affordable way to fly. This is achieved by flying between less congested airports and charging customers separately for extra commodities. Such commodities include an in-flight drink or snack, checked baggage, and priority seating.
Skybus has two base locations including one at the Greensboro airport, making it a particularly tempting offer to Guilford students. The other base location is Columbus, Ohio. Skybus offers direct service from Greensboro to Los Angeles, Calif., Chicago, Ill., Philadelphia, Pa., Hartford, Conn., Boston, Mass., New Orleans, La., New York, N. Y., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Fort Meyers, Fla., and Jacksonville, Fla.
When comparing the typical cost of Skybus to other popular airlines, the prices differ dramatically. Madden, who plans to travel to Los Angeles for spring break, will save over $100 on her ticket if she uses Skybus.
To travel to Los Angeles on March 7, Skybus charges only $200 round trip, compared to the $300-400 other airlines charge.
Another first-year, Keili Geller, also plans to use Skybus to travel with friends to Fort Lauderdale for spring break. "We all know that college students don't have a lot of money, and this airline gives us the opportunity to travel on a low budget," Geller said.
"My boy goes to Ohio Wesleyan University, and we don't get to see each other much except on breaks," Junior Dan Jimenez agreed. With Skybus, he can affordably travel to Columbus to visit friends. "Skybus will make it a lot easier for me to visit him."
However, Skybus has some limitations. "I'm not always sure if it's really worth it to book my tickets on Skybus," Madden said in reference to the cons.
Since Skybus does not fly into popular airports, when flying to Boston, one is actually flying to Portsmouth, N.H., 50 miles away. Skybus flights also depart early in the morning, or late at night, restricting flight choices.
If Madden were to use Skybus to fly home at break, she would get into Portsmouth really early or really late, making it difficult to find someone to pick her up at those times. Should she have to take a bus back to Boston, the added expenses might make the total price difference insubstantial.
Skybus prices rise as time goes on, so book tickets early. The prices for flights in March are low now, but by March tickets will cost twice as much as they do now.
Despite its setbacks, Skybus appears to be a growing trend; dramatically cutting airfare and allowing more people to travel. Is Skybus the new travel solution? Check it out for yourself!
Madden, a native of Boston, Mass., spends almost $400 every time she flies home for break. By using Skybus she could pay less than one-fourth the cost.
Skybus, which promotes a "first 10 seats for 10 dollars" deal, creates a more affordable way to fly. This is achieved by flying between less congested airports and charging customers separately for extra commodities. Such commodities include an in-flight drink or snack, checked baggage, and priority seating.
Skybus has two base locations including one at the Greensboro airport, making it a particularly tempting offer to Guilford students. The other base location is Columbus, Ohio. Skybus offers direct service from Greensboro to Los Angeles, Calif., Chicago, Ill., Philadelphia, Pa., Hartford, Conn., Boston, Mass., New Orleans, La., New York, N. Y., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Fort Meyers, Fla., and Jacksonville, Fla.
When comparing the typical cost of Skybus to other popular airlines, the prices differ dramatically. Madden, who plans to travel to Los Angeles for spring break, will save over $100 on her ticket if she uses Skybus.
To travel to Los Angeles on March 7, Skybus charges only $200 round trip, compared to the $300-400 other airlines charge.
Another first-year, Keili Geller, also plans to use Skybus to travel with friends to Fort Lauderdale for spring break. "We all know that college students don't have a lot of money, and this airline gives us the opportunity to travel on a low budget," Geller said.
"My boy goes to Ohio Wesleyan University, and we don't get to see each other much except on breaks," Junior Dan Jimenez agreed. With Skybus, he can affordably travel to Columbus to visit friends. "Skybus will make it a lot easier for me to visit him."
However, Skybus has some limitations. "I'm not always sure if it's really worth it to book my tickets on Skybus," Madden said in reference to the cons.
Since Skybus does not fly into popular airports, when flying to Boston, one is actually flying to Portsmouth, N.H., 50 miles away. Skybus flights also depart early in the morning, or late at night, restricting flight choices.
If Madden were to use Skybus to fly home at break, she would get into Portsmouth really early or really late, making it difficult to find someone to pick her up at those times. Should she have to take a bus back to Boston, the added expenses might make the total price difference insubstantial.
Skybus prices rise as time goes on, so book tickets early. The prices for flights in March are low now, but by March tickets will cost twice as much as they do now.
Despite its setbacks, Skybus appears to be a growing trend; dramatically cutting airfare and allowing more people to travel. Is Skybus the new travel solution? Check it out for yourself!
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