For all the haters out there, Skybus has also inspired some true believers. And whether the airline is profitable or not, officials at Portsmouth International are dumping $5 million into airport improvements, hoping to lure Skybus into making it a focus city.

The carrier now runs six flights a day out of PSM, up from two last summer. With the increase in passenger traffic, security lanes, the baggage claim and even the bathrooms have been overwhelmed. Putting in new facilities would ease that stress and set the airport up for future expansion. (All improvements aside, it'll still be 63 miles from Boston.)

Still, some board members are worried about making improvements that will essentially benefit one airline. But one airport bigwig who should know says it's a good carrier to invest in:

There's been an extremely high level of conversation within Skybus about international flights.

$10 flights to the Bahamas, anyone?

Related Stories:
· Pease Plans $5 Million Terminal Expansion [Seacoast Online]
· Skybus Going International [Jaunted]
· Skybus coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: msmail]]]> pbb 2008-02-12T11:09:07-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/10/23/84342/862

Plenty of people want to be in Boston these days -- BoSox World Series, undefeated Patriots, and the Celtics imminent return to prominence. However, Skybus has been taking it one step further, repeatedly claiming a town that is a bridge away from being in Maine is actually the Hub.

Portsmouth is not Boston. As a matter of fact it is over 60 miles away. Yet Skybus is constantly advertising Portsmouth as Boston. Their newest newsletter went one step further and highlights their new daily non stops from "Portsmouth MA" to Columbus and Florida.

We are big fans of trying to snag $10 airfare, we just like the sport of it, but could Skybus please knock off the saying they fly out of Boston, or Massachusetts for that matter. For the record Portsmouth is in New Hampshire and both Providence, Rhode Island (PVD) and Manchester, New Hampshire (MHT) are closer to Boston than Portsmouth, but don't market themselves as Boston.

Related Stories:
· Skybus coverage [Jaunted] ]]> markj 2007-10-23T08:43:42-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/5/23/131831/070

Skybus flight number one, which took off from Columbus Ohio and landed at Pease in Portsmouth New Hampshire shortly before 9 a.m. this morning, was a big deal for the Portsmouth economy.

MORE PLUS PHOTO GALLERY FROM PEASE]]> markj 2007-05-23T13:29:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/5/23/122715/645 Early this morning we drove ourselves to the long dormant Pease airport in Portsmouth New Hampshire and boarded Skybus flight number two, which landed in Columbus Ohio not too long ago. Fellow passengers included Skybus CEO Bill Diffenderffer and the companies chief operating officer Ken Gile. Also, plenty of college kids and young families, psyched to shell out just $10 each way to visit family, were on the A319.

The flight itself was smooth and landed at 11:11 am, just a couple minutes late. For now we will leave you with a video of us heading out to the plane at Pease. Our uncontrollably shaky camera work shows that we must have been extremely excited to board the plane. Stay tuned for plenty more.

Check out the Skybus Video (Scroll Down). ]]> markj 2007-05-23T12:30:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/4/30/13315/6835
Let's be real. Skybus does not fly to Boston. It takes at least one click on Skybus' website for them to admit that "Boston" is actually Portsmouth, NH. To be fair, Newark Airport is in a separate state from New York City, and we most definitely consider flying into Newark as flying into New York. But this is way more of a stretch. Hey, at least it's not Bellingham, WA, which Skybus brands as "Seattle" despite the 90-mile distance and better proximity to Canada.

But while playing with Skybus fares and investigating its creative airports, we did find one advantage to the "Boston" situation. Parking at Portsmouth International Airport is freakin' free, dude! That's short term and long term parking. To compare, economy long term parking at Boston Logan Airport is $16 per day.

Another reason to like Portsmouth? Free WiFi downtown. Then again, downtown Portsmouth does not equal downtown Boston, but it's a start.

[Photo: hillary h]

Related Stories:
· Skybus coverage [Jaunted]]]> djk 2007-04-30T13:31:05-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/