Cheap tickets are snapped up

BOB HOPE AIRPORT — News that Skybus Airlines was offering $10 one-way flights from Columbus, Ohio, to the West Coast spread fast this week, almost a month before the commercial carrier's first scheduled flight out of Bob Hope Airport on May 22.

Word spread so quickly that most, if not all, of the $10 seats — 10 offered on every flight — were snatched up through December, Skybus spokesman Bob Tenenbaum said

"In the first 18 hours the website was open, they sold just short of 100,000 tickets," he said. "I think it surprised everybody. The interest didn't, but the volume did."

The rest of the seats on Skybus flights range between $20 and $100 per way, depending on availability, he added.

Structured as a low-fare airline along the lines of Southwest and Ryanair, Skybus will have all flights either originating from its hub in Columbus or headed to Columbus. There are no connecting flights, meaning once travelers arrive at their destinations, they need to book a separate flight to reach another city, he said.

But Skybus' low fares often make booking two separate flights cheaper than booking a two-stop flight on another airline, he added.

"You can figure out the schedule and figure out how you can fly, for instance, from Columbus to Burbank and make a second reservation from Columbus to Fort Lauderdale," he said. "We're running into people that even if that means they have to stay overnight somewhere, they're still saving money."

Burbank is among four destinations Skybus will travel to when flights begin in May — Portsmouth, N.H.; Richmond, Va.; and Kansas City, Mo. will also be on the flight roster, he said.

Flights to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Bellingham, Wash.; and Greensboro, N.C. will be added after the first week of service, he said

The May 22, Columbus-to-Burbank flight will be Skybus' inaugural run and plans are to add a second Burbank flight on June 12, he said.

Bob Hope Airport has always been attractive to discount airlines because of its relatively low operating costs and access to a large passenger market — 3 million potential passengers within a 20 mile radius of the airport — said airport spokesman Victor Gill.

"Their strategy is obviously to use alternate airports in the larger markets," he said. "It wouldn't make sense for them to have one flight a day to LAX. That's a very big proposition to enter that airport."

Bob Hope Airport offers a low-cost structure in terms of the total cost to airline carriers per passenger, Gill said. Landing fees, for instance, are 80 cents per 1,000 pounds, he said.

As a comparison, the landing fee at Los Angeles International Airport is $2.69 per 1,000, according to LAX airport figures.