Skybus to land in Richmond?
Skybus, the new low-cost airline in town, is in negotiations with Richmond International Airport to create a second operations hub and base up to 22 flights a day out of RIC. The deal would make Richmond Skybus’s 2nd hub and could create up to 400 jobs in town.
Skybus is tremendous concept, based on RyanAir and EasyJet in Europe. Costs are kept extremely low by offering no frills and charging for all extras, like checking baggage and getting first dibs on seating. Flight attendants are paid a measly $9/hr, but make a commission on all the food, beverage, and merch they sell during the flight. All transactions must be conducted online - there is no call center.
I’ve flown Skybus 4 times and I must say it’s a terrific experience. No hassles, no delays, and the ticket was $40.80 with tax, round trip! Woot!
Greensboro, NC, is also in the running for the Skybus hub. Greensboro has big opportunities, similar to Richmond; it’s less than 2 hours from Raleigh and Charlotte, and doesn’t have a lot of flights currently. Greensboro has also been extremely profitable, as Skybus is doubling the number of flights to and from there starting January 2008.
Let’s hope we beat them out, because nothing would fill out our brand-spanking new airport addition than a new airline with 22 non-stop flights to new cities. Skybus currently serves San Diego, LA, Seattle, and San Francisco. Can you imagine non-stop flights from Richmond to the West Coast?
Skybus also plans on adding another flight from Richmond to Columbus in coming months, as Skybus receives more planes from its Airbus order. The only flight currently leaves early in the morning and makes the possibility of connecting virtually impossible.
Source: RTD
