After its catastrophic implosion, it's hard to imagine Skybus actually returning to the skies. But industry watcher Nawal Taneja tells the Columbus Dispatch there's a chance it could happen:
I know there are people interested in the certificate. They just think the management team and the business model weren't right.
He's talking about the "air carrier operating certificate," a document issued by the FAA that lets airlines fly. That, among a bunch of other Skybus assets, are up for grabs now that the company has shut down.
Among those shopping is likely the carrier's founder, John Weikle. (He left the company shortly after it started flying.) Because of a bunch of federal rules, Weikle wouldn't be able to snatch up the certificate and launch Jet America with it, but he could try to revive Skybus, keeping its base of operations in Columbus.
It's too early to say whether any of this will actually happen, of course. But maybe those $10 tickets will be back sooner than we imagine.
Turns out that selling $10 tickets can't make you money. Skybus, which would've celebrated a year of service on May 22, has ceased operations. While the carrier's website is still up and running, a source tells us--and the Columbus Dispatch confirms--that the ultra LCC is finished as of tonight.
That makes it the fourth airline to shutter this week, another victim of high costs and a brutal industry. Skybus isn't offering any sort of alternate arrangements, so wherever you're stranded, you'll have to find your own way home.
One has to wonder if ex-CEO Bill Diffenderffer saw the writing on the wall and made an early exit. One hopes not, as that's not exactly a samuri move.
It's too soon for us to get over our sugar hangover and think about looking for love again. (That's what too many Crumbs cupcakes do for you.) But some brave souls are soldiering forth, and we endeavor to support that.
Hope triumphs over experience in Columbus, Ohio, where people have mixed drinks, but not mixed feelings. We'll just be lying on the couch with a cold compress while you check out these hot spots:
El Arepazo Latin Grill -- Order up some arepas or grilled corn cakes and some horchata to drink at this Venezuelan restaurant, and you might get connected. Ay, mi amor! 47 N. Pearl St.
Brew-Stirs -- This multi-themed pub may have a Website banner that makes our eyes hurt, but who doesn't want to meet someone with whom he can have chemistry that's incredible... undeniable? 6118 Busch Blvd.
Dick's Den -- An Ohio State fixture, the crowd at this jazz bar and tavern might skew a bit younger than you're used to, but you don't have to be a college student to kick it on the patio. 2417 N. High St.
Speaking ofSkybus, the Columbus-based carrier is capitalizing on Ohio State's recent nomination to the BCS National Championship Game against LSU in New Orleans on January 7. You can normally find advance tickets on Skybus for under $100, but on January 4 and 5, one-way flights from Columbus to Gulfport-Biloxi International--which is 76 miles from the Superdome--are selling for $300. The return trip will cost you much less.
Other airlines can fly you from Port Columbus International to the actual New Orleans airport--just 14 miles from the Superdome--for a bit less, but you'll have to endure a stop or two. Then again, you won't have to drive back to Biloxi through Tiger country while distraught over a Buckeye loss.
Brazilians who move to Ireland, foreign cartoons and a behind the scenes breakdown of opera. Where else could such randomness roost but the wild and crazy capital of the film world, Columbus, Ohio? That's right--at least for eight days of the Columbus International Film and Video Festival. The Columbus College of Art and Design hosts the showcase every year, and with admission charges ranging between five bucks and free, you'll have a little scratch left over to treat yourself to some local indulgences.
The college football season is in full swing, so where are the best road-trip worthy stadiums? We've got the teams, the games and the shenanigans covered on our College Football Travel map.
After falling to the Florida Gators in the National Championship Game last year, the Ohio State University Buckeyes are out to win it this season. Last week's shaky start against Washington didn't inspire confidence, but the scoreboard is what counts, and OSU is now 3-0 heading in to conference play. Saturday, the Buckeyes host Northwestern at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
But the two biggest games of the year will be the last ones: OSU plays Illinois in November for the Illibuck trophy, and then will head to Michigan to face their arch-rivals, the Wolverines. Before that, though, you have a few more chances to catch OSU at home.
Animal expert and David Letterman stand-by guest Jack Hanna has his own airport hell story after getting trapped in a security turnstile with a baby flamingo named Marty this weekend.
Hanna's flight back to Columbus' Ohio State University Airport arrived after the airfield had closed for the evening, which meant his crew had to leave the secured area through a 10-foot-tall exit-only gate. When Hanna stepped in toting Marty in a 2-foot-wide crate, the pair got stuck.
Hanna eventually managed to struggle free, and he walked to a fire department to get help at around 12:30 am. The rest of his crew had to wait on the other side of the gate until firefighters came to pull the crate out. Maybe next time he'll skip the OSU Airport and fly Skybus?
The Greyhound of the skies just got a little more ambitious: Having secured permission earlier this summer to run international flights, Skybus may be starting its Mexico and Bahamas routes as early as October 1, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
We're not convinced that will happen since Skybus hasn't confirmed any schedules yet. And tickets--$10 or otherwise--are not yet on sale for Nassau, Freeport or Cancun, despite the fact that they could launch service less than three weeks from now.
Sure it's about time Americans got a low-cost, international, European-style carrier. Then again, it might not be worth it if unbelievable deals turn into unbelievable delays. And, of course, there's the matter of turning Columbus into an international hub. If Skybus makes this happen by October 1, we'll be mightily impressed.
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