The Newest Nickel and Dime Airline

By Jeralyn, Section Off Topic
Posted on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 12:08:42 AM EST
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The U.S. is getting a new airline company. It brings new meaning to the term "no-frills." It's more like nickel and diming you to death. I won't be flying on it anytime soon.

Skybus, based in Columbus, Ohio, is charging extra for many items — $5 to check a bag, $10 for a preferred seat, $2 for a soft drink — and it aims to sell a lot of the stuff. Carrying food on board is not allowed, according to Skybus’s Web site, “unless you brought enough for the whole plane.”

The airline will sell tickets only through its Web site, avoiding the expense of maintaining a reservations call center or paying a sales commission to travel agents. Skybus is also outsourcing its maintenance, the staffing of ticket counters at airports and its baggage handling, all to keep costs low.

“Don’t call us,” the Web site explains. “We don’t have a phone number.”

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The Newest Nickel and Dime Airline | 26 comments (26 topical)

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I would love (5.00 / 1) (#4)
by HK on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 04:55:27 AM EST

to have the time and money to turn up with a vast quantity of food and drink and hold them to this:

Carrying food on board is not allowed, according to Skybus's Web site, "unless you brought enough for the whole plane."

Just wondering... (5.00 / 1) (#13)
by David at Kmareka on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 10:17:29 AM EST

Is there any truth to the rumor that SkyBus will be using pay toilets on their airplanes? (Air fresheners, of course, will be extra.) If one of their planes crashes, will the passengers who paid a death insurance surcharge ascend to heaven more rapidly and have their mortal remains treated with special dignity? Will those who neglected to pay the surcharge suffer in purgatory and have their mortal remains carted off in a rusty wheelbarrow? How far will SkyBus go? Oh, and don't you think that, since they're skimping on all the "frills," they're skimping on safety, as well? Does anyone really imagine that the Bush administration, with its mediocre track record on protecting the public, will have our back? I think not.

Actually, I think it's brilliant (none / 0) (#1)
by Al on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 12:46:16 AM EST

Flying is costly. Think about it. If I'm willing not to eat on my flight, why should I subsidize your meal? Buy your own damn sandwich.

(Sorry, I've had a long day).

the point is (none / 0) (#2)
by Jeralyn on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 01:35:47 AM EST

you can't bring a sandwich or any food or drink on the plane. You can only have theirs...at a cost. Your alternative is to go hungry.


You ever been (none / 0) (#7)
by Deconstructionist on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 07:40:27 AM EST

to the movies, a sporting event, a concert, or the many other venues where promoters forbid bring one's own sustenance and charge exorbitant prices for food and drink?

Why patronize those events and boycott an airline that does the same thing?


: I smuggle.... (none / 0) (#22)
by kdog on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 01:44:28 PM EST

my own food and drink into all those venues...its not that hard.
As for Skybus....If I can sneak my reefer on the plane with little trouble, I'm sure I can find room on my person for a candy bar. If it's cheap and going where I wanna go, I'd use 'em. If I hear they treat their non-union employees unfairly, I'd go to another airline. I'll patronize a non-union outfit as long as I don't hear labor horror stories a la Walmart.

Kids? I have to bring food and drink (none / 0) (#9)
by lilybart on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 08:15:11 AM EST

for the kid.She needs her Pirate Booty and cheese sticks and the other passengers will be very sorry if she doesn't have these!

I could not fly this airline until my daughter is much older.


I'm all for it (none / 0) (#3)
by joejoejoe on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 02:56:56 AM EST

It's not like people are forced to fly on Skybus. I've been on a real bus for 20+ hour trips, and you don't get food, you don't get a wetnap, you don't get peanuts, you don't get jack. But it gave me an option to get from A to B that I couldn't otherwise afford so I was a happy. Good luck Skybus.

deja vu (none / 0) (#5)
by Jen M on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 05:34:08 AM EST

sounds like the

Grace L. Ferguson Airline and Stormdoor Co.

HA HA.... (none / 0) (#12)
by desertswine on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 10:12:51 AM EST

That must have been the greatest comedy album ever made. Just thinking about it made me smile.


: I wonder if they employ (none / 0) (#25)
by Jen M on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 06:47:35 PM EST

Trixie and Bubbles

TL: (none / 0) (#6)
by Wile ECoyote on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 06:38:56 AM EST

You are finally addressing my bread and butter.

Skybus is modeled after RyanAir in Europe.

Here are their rules of flying.

FYI. The seats do not even have trays in the back of them. The seats are so close together that your knees stick into the area where the tray tables would normally fold up. That is why they can pack 156 people into an Airbus 319.

They are non-union.
Skybus does have some serious money backers. They are starting out with more money than when JetBlue started, and are owned by Nation-Wide Insurance.

Look at the actual destinations before you book. It says you fly to Seattle. You really fly into Bellingham, Wa. Two hours north of Seattle. How much to rent a car to get to Seattle? If you go to Boston, you really fly into Portsmouth, NH, and to LA, you fly into Burbank.

It costs five dollars each to check your first two bags, and if you have more than that, it is fifty dollars a bag thereafter. If you get smart and pack your bags heavy, any bag over fifty pounds is $75 to check.

Oh, and you can buy trip insurance to protect your investment in case the flight cancels. Skybus will not rebook on another carrier ever. They are not responsible if they are late missing connections.

They are not using Jetways to load and unload passengers at the airports, they will be using the old-fashioned airstairs.

The Flight Attendants pay is $9 an hour, far below industry standard. They get no per diem (again an transportation industry standard) but they do get 10% of the profits on the flights from the food and drinks they sell.

Its not for everyone (none / 0) (#8)
by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 08:13:31 AM EST

OTOH, the really really cheap basic transportation will be welcomed by many.


Comfort for a good price on Jetblue (none / 0) (#10)
by lilybart on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 08:18:15 AM EST

We never use any other airline but Jetblue if at all possible. WIDE comfortable seats and lots of legroom, feels like biz class. Real time TV with cartoons for my daughter. I have watched the Daily Show in real time on the plane, heaven.

Again, with a child, needs are different and more space on the plane for the bags of toys and snacks is more important.


Burbank (none / 0) (#14)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 11:09:10 AM EST

is often preferred to LAX (always preferred by me; much smaller than LAX, much easier to arrive and depart, employees are much more friendly and helpful, classic Art Deco building, lots of history, a "homey" feel rather than Grand Central, etc.) but if the flight to Burbank is misleadingly advertised as "LA" then that doesn't seem right.

Airstairs are also not much a drawback, to me anyway, and they use 'em at Burbank.

Which makes me think it's not Skybus that decides between Jetways and airstairs; if an airport (like Burbank) doesn't have terminals designed for/with Jetways, well, there is no choice, ya gotta take the stairs. Feels more real, to me, kinda nostalgic in some way...


SUO (1.00 / 1) (#20)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 12:39:33 PM EST

Airlines buy/lease the gates from the airport.

It has been too long, I can't remember if Burbank has jetways...

And if you are going to The Big Orange, that's a long drive.. probably 50 miles even to LAX


Your response confuses me jim, (none / 0) (#21)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 12:57:39 PM EST

What is the significance of this statement?

I said

but if the flight to Burbank is misleadingly advertised as "LA" then that doesn't seem right.

I think that covers people who's final destination is Orange County, among others, no?

I also said

if an airport (like Burbank) doesn't have terminals designed for/with Jetways,

iow, there are no jetways at Burbank - it's got one floor and that floor is at ground level. Like in the old days.


SUO (none / 0) (#23)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 05:56:35 PM EST

Nothing major, just making the point that it is the airline's gate, under contract. (I didn't connect the "like Burbank" re jetways.)

And I'd hate to fly into Burbank, say at 10PM with a room south of let's say, John Wayne Airport. Long drive, still enough traffic to jar you and a road with a lot of deferred maintenace.


not much better (none / 0) (#24)
by Jen M on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 06:46:48 PM EST

than having to go out to richmond to fly out of DC. But hey, it beats not being able to go at all.


: Jen M (none / 0) (#26)
by jimakaPPJ on Thu Apr 26, 2007 at 03:10:37 PM EST

Who goes out of Richmond that is cheaper than someone out of Dulles?
Southwest??

Yup (none / 0) (#15)
by Wile ECoyote on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 11:36:12 AM EST

til you are a wheelchair passenger and then they have to dig up enough people to carry you up the airstairs.


Let's hope I never am a wheelchair passenger (none / 0) (#16)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 12:10:20 PM EST

but I certainly get yout point.

Certainly airlines are required to provide people to get such passengers up the airstairs, no?


: Or maybe it's the airport (none / 0) (#17)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 12:11:33 PM EST

that has to supply the "lifters" since it's their infrastructure that's causing the problem?

An Airline for Idiots! (none / 0) (#11)
by JHFarr on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 10:07:03 AM EST

I can't IMAGINE getting on a plane run by an airline that outsources its maintenance to save money. I also would never give my business to an airline that had no phone number for me to call to yell at someone.

Anyone who flies this cockamamie outfit will be risking his life out of all proportion to the imagined savings. To hell with this and all the other CRAPPY REPUBLICAN "BUSINESS" IDEOLOGY that denies individual rights & freedoms and only seeks to pad the bottom line.

Never, never, never.

: JHFarr (none / 0) (#18)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 12:34:32 PM EST

To hell with this and all the other CRAPPY REPUBLICAN "BUSINESS" IDEOLOGY that denies individual rights & freedoms and only seeks to pad the bottom line.
Nice rant, but could you provide some proof that ALL business/corps that cut cost are managed Repubs?

: It makes sense (none / 0) (#19)
by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 12:38:14 PM EST

For an airline with few aircraft, hiring out maintenance to a full time maintenance company makes a lot of sense. Both financially, and for quality of service.
I bet you don't have the latest engine anaylizer on your garage for your car. If so, shame on you outsourcing that function to a company that has the latest equipment and the work volume to keep quality people employed and their skills current.