Airline Skybus gets off ground in May

0 Comments | USA TODAY, April, 2007 | by Dan Reed

Airline start-up Skybus announced Tuesday that it will launch service next month from its Columbus, Ohio, base, moving discount travel in the USA closer than ever to the bare-bones model pioneered by Europe's popular Ryanair.

CEO Bill Diffenderffer says the new airline will make its splash in the crowded domestic airline business with ultralow fares and separate charges for services from baggage handling to onboard snacks. As a permanent pricing feature, Skybus plans to make 10 seats on all flights aboard its 150-seat Airbus A319s available at $10 each way. Average fares will be pegged at about 50% of the going rate of other carriers serving the same markets.

The key to success, Diffenderffer says, is "simple pricing philosophy. ... We want to stimulate people...