Skybus adds a second base of operations

Skybus Airlines, the low-cost carrier that started operating from its base at Columbus, Ohio last spring, said it will establish a second base this winter at North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI), which serves Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point. Skybus’ low-fare trademark is its promise to offer 10 seats on every flight at a fare of just $10 one-way, a policy that will also apply for its new PTI service. Skybus targets secondary airports that are within a reasonable driving distance of major markets. The operation will start January 6, when Skybus adds a second daily PTI-Columbus flight to its schedule. On January 15, the airline will launch two flights a day between PTI and Portsmouth, N.H. (Skybus considers it a gateway to greater Boston); two a day between PTI and Punta Gorda, Fla. (for Ft. Myers); and daily service between PTI and St. Augustine, Fla. (Jacksonville/Daytona Beach). On January17, the airline kicks off daily service from PTI to Ft. Lauderdale, Gulfport/Biloxi (New Orleans) and Westover Metropolitan Airport in Chicopee, Mass. (serving Hartford/Springfield). And on February 25, Skybus will add service between PTI and greater Los Angeles by way of Burbank Airport.