Skybus Cancels Routes
This morning on 10TV they reported that Skybus is canceling its west coast routes. Sadly this means that some flights that have already been scheduled and paid for will also be cancelled. While the airline is refunding the fares paid, it also means that many people will not get to enjoy the trips they have planned.
It also means alternative airlines will be rushed for tickets, and the combination of last minute planning and high demand will make those tickets very highly priced.
I took Skybus on my round trip flight to Ft. Lauderdale recently. In all honesty, I was fairly impressed. The new planes had leather seats and were of normal size. On the way down, I paid $2 for a very tiny bottle of water, but that did not surprise me. (I was a little surprised by the fact that they give you a shopping catalog onboard and the fact that you could “corporate sponsor” the in flight announcements–but hey, my ticket was under $80 round trip) I liked the way we got on and off quickly and flights were in the air on time. Personally, I would have given Skybus a very “thumbs up” type of review.
But canceling flights anywhere makes me a little scared to book Skybus. According to WBNS Skybus’ reason for canceling flights was that gas fill ups to the west coast were too expensive. Well, gas fill ups to south Florida can’t be cheap. What’s up with that?
In my experience it seems that when a start-up quickly changes the way they do things and damages their reputation with customers quickly, that often has long term negative consequences for the company. I also note that, while I love Columbus and this is a great place to live, airlines seem to have a little trouble here. Southeast and the shortly lived but greatly touted Hooters air both flew for just a few years out of Rickenbacker before they shut down. America West, while still going strong as an airline, pulled their hub from CMH just a few years ago as well.
What does that mean for Skybus? I honestly do not know. I simply hope for the sake of passengers already booked on Skybus flights that no more routes are cancelled anytime soon.
Note: To be fair, while Skybus is canceling these western routes, they have added routes to the east.
Columbus, Ohio, OH, air travel, Skybus, CMH, Columbus airport, Port Columbus, Ft. Lauderdale, flight cancellations
March 25th, 2008 at 8:45 am
[...] even my confidence has been shaken by consistently negative press that leaves me concerned about having to cancel a trip and losing money because the airline may cancel a route after the ticket has been issued, or [...]