Start-up discount air carrier Skybus Airlines named Bob Hope Airport in Burbank as one of the cities it will serve when flights begin next month. The no-frills airline based out of Columbus, Ohio considers the Los Angeles area to be one of great interest. Columbus is currently only served by one daily nonstop flight to Los Angeles International Airport, said Skybus spokesman Bob Tenenbaum. “Skybus has said it will serve major markets from Columbus,” Tenenbaum said. “Obviously L.A. is a major market.” The first daily nonstop between Columbus and Burbank begins May 22. A second flight will start service June 12. The airline also serves markets such as San Francisco, Kansas City, Ft. Lauderdale and the Seattle/Vancouver region. Skybus will be the first airline in two years to begin service from Bob Hope. JetBlue began its Burbank service in May 2005 with daily nonstops to New York’s JFK International Airport. The Operations and Development Committee of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority approved leasing ticket counter space and lobby kiosk positions to Skybus on April 16. The airport estimates it will receive $234,098 from Skybus operations. The full airport authority board still needs to approve the lease. Funding from businesses and individual investors in Columbus, and from equity capital, combined to raise the $160 million to launch the airline, Tenenbaum said. In October, the airline signed a firm contract to purchase 65 Airbus A319 jet aircraft. Skybus will lease A319 jets until it takes delivery of its own planes starting in 2008. The airline will employ about 200 workers when flights start in May with a projected number of 350 by year’s end and 1,000 within three years. With its low ticket prices, Skybus takes pages from the playbook of Ryanair, the largest low-cost carrier in Europe, and U.S. budget airline Southwest, which also serves Bob Hope Airport. A Skybus passenger pays for their seat and is offered a menu of extras to purchase, i.e priority boarding, food and drinks. “The basic concept is to offer fares dramatically lower than what is currently available to Columbus travelers,” Tenenbaum said. To maximize ancillary revenues, the airline sells advertising space on the interior and exterior of its jets. While having more airlines is a good thing, there are questions whether a hub in Columbus is a good idea, said aviation consultant Michael Boyd. Skybus will compete with every other airline flying into the Los Angles region.
