Skybus

My timing for Skybus flight turned out to be OK. I left GSO 3/26 and returned 3/30.

Within a week of my return flight (4/5 to be exact), Skybus pulled the plug on their operations ceasing all flight and filed for bankruptcy first thing Monday, April 07.

This was unfortunate. Skybus was a good deal, and in my opinion, their business model made sense.

The fare was $100 round trip, taxes and fees were $16.30
I splurged and spent an additional $20 roundtrip for priority boarding.
I splurged again and spent $20 more to check my 1 bag (round-trip).
Oh, I also bought a cup of coffee for $2.00

Total cost: $158.30

I also had a couple of Johnnie Walkers, total cost $10. I gave her a two dollar bill as a tip. I snapped a picture to document this. (The drinks, not the tip.)

I flew into Gulfport, which I estimate added about 60 miles in distance from my ultimate destination had I flown into Mobile. Take that times 2 and I drove about 120 extra miles, so that probably cost me a little less than $20 in gasoline.

Total cost: around $178.30, let’s just round up to $180.

Not a bad deal. All Skybus flights were direct flights, so I didn’t have a stopover in Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincy, etc.

The flight attendants on the way down were great…polished and professional.

On the way back, the young ladies were OK, but not quite as polished, stumbling somewhat over the words as they read from their scripts.

The passengers were what I was most apprehensive about, imagining an aircraft cabin resembling the third world bus trips we often see on television. I had speculated that my fellow travelers would carryon everything but the kitchen sink in an effort to save $10 for a checked bag. It turned out to be not quite that bad, although there were a couple of louts sitting in front of me in row 1 who kept their feet firmly planted against the bulkhead wall for most of the flight. I snapped a picture as documentation. You only see one set of feet in the photo. The other lout was directly in front of me, across the aisle.

Probably most irritating (to me) was the boarding process. Prior to boarding, as the gate attendants prepared to open the gate door, people all crowded up in preparation for the rush to get the best seats. Understandable, but all the non-priority seating folks were in my way, so I had to walk around and jump queue in front of at least of few folks who had also paid for priority boarding. So, I allowed the behavior of other people determine my behavior. It was a mob scene, so I assimilated and became a part of that scene. I’ve gotta say, this is not the kind of behavior I expect from myself.

It’s certainly overstatement, but, I suppose if one takes a dip in a sewer, he’s likely to pick up a certain stench.

Anyway, just my thoughts....not that it matters much anymore.