We were never more disappointed as we were when we heard Skybus was starting flights. Our post on the subject was entitled, It’s the End of the World as We Know It. Why was this?
Skybus’s philosophy was not one we appreciated. Ten dollar fares sound good, but what was the real cost and quality of such service.
The Columbus Dispatch(Columbus being their hub), has reactions to the shutdown.
“My wife, Judy, was unable to do our usual Christmas shopping because of restrictions to her activities due to a series of surgeries. … So, we decided to give a “family” gift that did not require the physical effort required of going to retail stores. We “shopped” online at Skybus and purchased 14 tickets to send (12 grandchildren, some special-needs, and their parents) to Florida after school let out in June.
Great enthusiasm was generated for these children to have their first vacation together as an entire family; it’s all they’ve talked about since Christmas. Our challenge is to tell them that their vacation is now impossible.
The toll on people’s lives is the real cost of Skybus’ demise, for those immediately affected and, like our family, the near-term expectations have been dashed.”
In another hit, Skybus’s Travel Insurance underwritten by AIG Travelguard, one of the things they bundled into their tickets, doesn’t cover the default of the carrier. Skybus advises passengers to contact their credit card for a reversal, but that isn’t a sure thing.
Hopefully, the failure of Skybus will halt the degradation of airline industry as a whole. But with legacy carriers charging for the second bag, and cutting services, we fear it will not halt it for long. In general though, we hope that a standard level of care will be established, despite the fact that no law or regulation exists.