Skybus, King of the No-Frills Skies

It was a cool morning (50 deg F ) in Ventura County when we left the house at 6 AM. The destination was Bob Hope Airport in Burbank California for my first flight on Skybus. The sedan ride was uneventful and we arrived at the airport 90 minutes before take-off at 8:16 AM to our final destination of Columbus, Ohio.

Ticket Purchase

We purchased 2 round trip tickets about 4 months prior to the flight; the flight was December 17, 2007. Tickets were purchased online and were $220 each which included taxes, fees, and $10 extra for preferred boarding. Preferred Skybus boarding allows you to board in the second wave of four, which is second only to people who have a disability, are handicap, or need a little extra time to board.

Two days before the flight Skybus sent us a reminder about the flight and we found that the take-off time had been moved up by 30 minutes. Had Skybus not sent the notice we may have been late for the flight.

Ticket purchase was a breeze and the email saved me some hassle, although I would normally check the flight status the night before departure. Rating 5 of 5 stars.

Check In and Baggage

Check-in can only take place in 2 ways, online or at an automated kiosk. My wife and I opted to check in at the kiosk. Check-in went smooth. We had 2 additional bags in addition to our carry-on, so that required another payment of $10 (total). The "ATM" printed our boarding pass and I noticed we had a "3" in the boarding box. I was expecting a "1" for preferred boarding.

We walked a few feet to the Skybus baggage check-in area, staffed by 2 people. I placed my bag on the scale and informed the attendant of the boarding priority issue. She looked at our passes and our online receipt. She apologized and changed the "3" to "1" and initialed the change. I asked if this would be enough to get the proper boarding at the gate and she replied "yes, I will be at the gate". Rating 4 of 5 stars (and yes we boarded with the "ones" at the gate).

Airport Check Point and Breakfast