Skybus Airlines ends service at Gary, nationwide

by Carol Henrichs

When the 8:04 p.m. Skybus Airlines flight departed the Gary/Chicago International Airport Friday night, it also departed the airline business, just 18 months after it started.

Friday night marked the last flight at Gary for the airline that ended all of its nationwide flights. The airline served Gary for only 23 days.

Skybus began service at Gary with two flights per day on Thursday, March 13. Hopes were high that this would be the airline to bring promise of growth, stability, and additional carriers to Gary.

Just one week after a highly successful inaugural flight to Greensboro, NC, Skybus spokesman Bob Tenenbaum announced that one flight per day would be cut. He cited rising fuel costs.

Skybus struggled to overcome the combination of rising jet fuel costs and a slowing economic environment. These two issues proved to be insurmountable for a new carrier, according to a prepared statement by CEO Michael Hodge.

“We deeply regret the impact this decision will have on our employees and their families, customers, vendors, suppliers, airport officials and others in the cities in which we have operated. Our financial condition is such that our Board of Directors felt it had no choice but to cease operations,” Hodge said.

Passengers holding reservations for Skybus flights scheduled to depart on or after Saturday, April 5, 2008 should contact their credit card companies to arrange to apply for a refund. More information for customers and others will be made available on the Skybus web site (www.skybus.com) as it becomes available.

Skybus follows ATA and Aloha Airlines as the third airline this week to end operations. All three cite rising fuel costs.

The demise of Skybus follows SkyValue, which ended service early this year after just 15 months at Gary. Pan Am ended operations at Gary in 2004, Southeast in 2006 and Hooters, a few months later. Still, Gary officials will continue to try to recruit airline service.

But as 19th century inventor Alexander Graham Bell said, When one door closes, another one opens. And so do the possibilities of attracting airlines to the Gary/Chicago International Airport.

Waiting in the wings is a new carrier that is interested in serving the Chicago market through Gary.

VivaAerobus, a low-cost Mexican air carrier, which serves a host of Mexican detimations, including Acapulco, Cancun, Cozumel, and Puerto Vallarta, and Merida, to name a few, has applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation to begin flying daily out of the Chicago market.

According to Airport Director Chris Curry, the airline officials sought him out at an airline conference earlier this year.

But before flights can begin, Gary must build a facility for screening passengers and baggage that fits U.S. Customs that fits Homeland Protection security standards. It will take a $3 –to $4-million facility.

The end of ATA could buoy the market for VivaAerobus markets.