| Carrier: | Skybus Airlines
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| Headquarters: | USA
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| Founded: | 2006
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| Destinations: | 12
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| Bases: | Columbus
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| Owners: | Private Investors
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| Listed: | Yes
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| Online Booking: | Yes
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| Website: | http://www.skybus.com/
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| Fleet | A319 8
| Overview - Skybus Airlines Skybus Airlines is a privately-owned LCC based in Columbus, Ohio. It markets itself as an “ultra-low cost carrier”, and plans to keep its fares significantly below its competitors. Skybus offers at least ten seats at USD10 on every service, and claims that its fares are, on average, approximately half the cost of those available on other airlines currently serving Columbus (including Continental, Delta Air Lines, Southwest, among others).
Skybus received approval from the US Department of Transportation to commence operations from Port Columbus International Airport on 15-Mar-06, and received FAA certification on 10-May-07. Prior to this FAA certification, the airline was cleared to commence ticket sales on 24-Apr-07. The airline sold over 200,000 tickets between this date and the commencement of its services on 22-May-07. Skybus, which obtained USD160 million in start up capital, commenced operations with eight destinations.
On 26-Oct-06, Skybus signed a firm contract for the purchase of 65 A319 aircraft, among the largest single orders ever made by a US carrier, certainly a start-up carrier. The airline commenced operations with leased A319s, as the first of the purchased A319s will only be delivered in late-08.
Currently Skybus’ network covers 12 cities domestically in the US: Port Colombus, Burbank, Kansas City, Portsmouth, Richmond, Bellingham, Fort Lauderdale, Greensboro, Oakland, San Diego, Chicopee, and St Augustine. On 24-Jul-07, the US Department of Transportation granted Skybus the right to operate international services to Cancun (Mexico) and Nassau (Bahamas). The airline plans to commence these first two international destinations on 01-Oct-07, bringing the airline's operations to fourteen total cities and thirteen destinations served from the airline’s Columbus hub.
Skybus co-brands its aircraft, permitting advertising on the interior and exterior of its aircraft, as a way to boost the airline’s ancillary revenues, and to enable it to maintain its low fares.
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