We’ve never hid our disdain for Skybus…but since they launched the other day…we thought it was time to review…
Perhaps ABC News’s Scott Mayerowitz has it the best…with his article…”The Greyhound Bus of the Skies – Skybus Airlines: where Lunch Costs More Than a Plane Ticket.” To compare Skybus to Greyhound is to insult Greyhound.
“Skybus takes no-frills flying to a new level. Self-service is the theme here. The airline has no phone number. Passengers are encouraged to check themselves in online or at airport kiosks. About the only thing I didn’t have to do was pilot the plane….Before the plane even took off, Skybus was tempting me to open my wallet. Flight attendants passed out catalogs, offering watches, necklaces, pens, sunglasses, makeup, perfume. Flight attendants told us about the merchandise long before anybody gave a safety lecture. It was like the Home Shopping Network at 35,000 feet.”
Skybus flight attendants work on 10% commission, and are paid only $9 an hour. So they will be bothering you to sell you food, water, suntan lotion, jewelry, etc.
The airline sells soft drinks, juice and water for $2, alcoholic beverages for $5 and, if you really want to splurge, a small bottle of champagne for $10. Candy bars and potato chips go for $2. If you are looking for a little more to eat, a sandwich will run you $10. A pillow costs $8 but you can keep it. Outside food is forbidden on Skybus…except for special dietary issues/requirements. However, despite their rules, their CEO commented, “We’re discouraging that because that’s part of our profit model but we’re not food Nazis. Nobody’s going to take away their sandwich.”
Skybus does not through ticket passengers…anyone connecting in Columbus must buy separate tickets and collect their luggage. Columbus…which is the airline’s hub…is not exactly a largely popular destination…
On its first day, Skybus planes were mostly full…but that might have been due to the novelty of the service. So…what are people thinking of this carrier?
“Skybus is very Ryanair-esque,” said Dan Garton, executive vice president of marketing at American Airlines. “We’re watching that carefully, and the question is, ‘Is that a direction we want to go?’ ”
Low-cost carriers in the United States are at a much higher-level than Ryanair though. We don’t pay to check bags…we don’t pay to check in online…we are not nickel-and-dimed… We think the United States carriers need to get their acts together in certain areas…but take the American public onto Ryanair…and they’d be worshipping at the Temple of Southwest and Airtran for the rest of their lives.
We’ll continue to monitor Skybus and the industry response to their programs…