If you had a chance to fly 600 miles for the same amount of money it would cost you to buy a meal at The Olive Garden would you do it?
To me it’s a no brainer… absolutely.
I think.
Thinking is actually what inspired me to write this blog. I got to thinking about my previous post regarding Skybus Airlines’ inaugural flights out of my local airport here in Milwaukee. The airline is currently offering $10 seats from Milwaukee to Ohio. This offer is not unusual for the carrier that has made a name for itself by offering seats for 10 bucks on all of its flights (more on that later) regardless of what airport you depart from.
This, of course, begs the question, “What gives?”
I touched on “the catch” in my previous article, but in the days since, I have done additional research and come to the conclusion that this $10 ticket gimmick may be here to stay.
If you too are pondering dropping $10 for a ride on Skybus here’s what you should know:
The airline flies new Airbus A319 jets with a seating capacity of 144. But, to keep costs down those planes do not fly into major airports such as New York’s JFK or LaGuardia. Instead, they target airports such as Bellingham, Washington, located about 90 miles north of Seattle and 50 miles south of Vancouver. It may seem a bit out-of-the-way, but your extra drive time is compensated by the fact that security lines are practically nonexistent and in most cases you can park your car at the terminal for free.
And don’t forget you only paid 10 bucks for your ticket.
However, ten dollars is not going to get you a seat in first class… because there is no first-class on Skybus. In fact, to further speed up boarding, seats are not assigned. Though, for an extra $10, the airline offers passengers the privilege of boarding first. Regardless if you are the first to board or the last you will still be climbing stairs to get in the airplane. By boarding passengers directly off the tarmac, the airline avoids costly airport gate charges.
As I mentioned earlier, every Skybus flight goes through Ohio. Specifically, Columbus, Ohio. The airline does not ticket passengers on connecting flights. Which means if I want to fly to Florida from my home in Milwaukee I can pay $10 to get a flight from Wisconsin to Columbus then I have to buy a separate ticket from Columbus to my final destination. I would also have to claim my checked baggage in Columbus and recheck it for my connecting flight. Skybus executives say they plan to offer connections as they continue to grow.
So, are those $10 tickets really legit?
According to the airline every flight has at least 10 seats for the $10 fare and that fare will not go away. It’s nice to know that it is not a promo fare, but that still leaves about 140 seats on each plane that the airline needs to sell. Skybus says some of those seats might be $30. Others could be $60. The top last-minute walk-up fare is $330. It all depends on how full the flight is and how far in advance you purchase your ticket.
For example, say you were able to snatch up one of the $10 tickets on your outbound flight, but on your return you had to fork over $30 for a seat. After taxes and fees you still got a round-trip airline ticket for under $60. Not bad… even if it only got you as far as Columbus.
Would you fly Skybus for $10?
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