joethekay

Another low price carrier enters the Chicago market:
From http://ask.skybus.com/
Skybus Airlines announced today it will add nonstop service from Columbus to the Philadelphia area via Wilmington, DE beginning March 7, and to Toronto via Niagara Falls, NY beginning April 1.
At the same time, Skybus announced it would begin service to Gary/Chicago International Airport and to Philadelphia, along with a second daily nonstop to Ft. Lauderdale, from its base at Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina beginning March 13.
New Castle Airport in Wilmington, DE, located about 35 miles from Center City Philadelphia.
Niagara Falls International Airport, convenient to the attractions of the Niagara Frontier and just 85 miles from downtown Toronto.
Gary/Chicago International Airport, located 25 miles from downtown Chicago’s famed Loop.

cfc

As I noted on the SW thread post, what skybus is doing is just creating "shadow hubs" slightly displaced from existing hubs now used by the majors. They think they're going to drum up business by offering the $10 introductory fares -- sounding a LOT like the late, lamented Independence and Midway Airlines. Not sure it's worth the differential to have to shlep from Niagara to Toronto, Wilmington to Philly, Gary to Chicago, Manchester to Boston, etc. They'll need to step up with VERY efficient connector shuttle buses to come close to downtown-to-downtown service.

rkkwan

Skybus has its own clientele. They are people who previously would have taken a bus, drive, or just not travel at all. It has little to no consequence to most of the traveling public, unless you live close to Columbus, OH.

joethekay

I have never flown skybus, but I am tempted to do so from Gary to Greensboro later this year and at $35 or so it makes a cheap getaway weekend to the Charlotte and or Asheville area even with a car rental. Cheaper and quicker than driving there.

cfc

Do you know the distances to Charlotte and Asheville?

joethekay

Piedmont TRiad airport to Asheville 167 mi
Piedmont triad airport to Charlotte
99 mi

WillTravel

The thing I'm sad about is that Skybus gave up Bellingham.

travelgourmet

"$10 introductory fares"

This isn't exactly true, and the comparisons to Independence Air isn't entirely valid. Skybus is trying to create an entire new category in the US. This ultra-low-cost model is best exemplified by Ryanair, for which €1 fares are pretty commonplace, and not just introductory.

This is not just another airline trying to compete with the legacies, they are trying to compete with airlines, cars, trains, busses, maybe even bicycles. Their hope is that ultra low fares are enough to get people to trade convenience or to even to try someplace new. It isn't just about getting people to fly them when they need to go from Chicago to Charlotte, but to get people who would never otherwise go to the Piedmont region to say, "for $35, why not go for a weekend?"

The routes may seem out of the way, but is Gary-Greensboro any more ridiculous than Billund-Girona?

dfr4848

As with Ryanair or any other very low cost carrier, make sure you read the fine print on what the fare includes - or more accurately doesn't include. Those "extras" can up quickly!

Cassandra

They are advertising vigorously in the Raleigh-Durham newspapers, even though it's a 90-120 min. drive to Greensboro-High Point airport. They're clearly trying to pull passengers from RDU routes. Wouldn't be surprised if they aren't doing the same thing in Charlotte papers.

dfr4848

Aaarrrgh! meant to say "extras can add up quickly".