Columbus-based carrier plans Chapter 11 filing

Skybus, the Columbus-based low-fare carrier that made a name for itself by selling a few $10 seats on every flight, has become the third airline in a week to stop flying. A combination of a weak economy and soaring fuel prices led the airline’s management to suspend all flight operations on Saturday (April 5), with plans to file for bankruptcy on Monday (April 7). “Our financial condition is such that our board of directors felt it had no choice but to cease operations,” the company said in a brief announcement on its website. Skybus is advising passengers holding tickets for future flights to contact their credit card companies for refunds. The airline was less than a year old. A little over a week ago, Skybus had announced plans to trim its schedules significantly as it struggled to reduce operating costs; two weeks ago, the carrier’s CEO since its inception, Bill Diffenderffer, left the company. Moving beyond its Columbus base, Skybus had recently been building up new routes from New York State’s Stewart Airport and from Greensboro, North Carolina. The airline had focused on flying to secondary airports located within driving distance of large cities rather than trying to compete head-to—head with large airlines serving major airports.