Talk:Skybus Airlines

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[edit] Skybus to Close

I'm not the best at writing things, so I'll leave this to someone else. But today is the last day Skybus is going to fly. Beginning Saturday, all flights have been canceled. http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2008/04/04/flight.html?sid=102 24.95.33.170 (talk)

Sweet. Walmart Airways has officially collapsed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.187.106.1 (talk) 12:48, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

SKYBUST! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.238.31.40 (talk) 16:10, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Unreferenced Information

I noticed some new information just popped up for this article by a couple unregistered users and it has no reference. I searched, but could find none either. If anyone knows where this info came from and whether it is real, please reply to this. Thank you. Polypmaster

I edited in a lot of information I got from attending a job interview for Skybus. 71.212.94.81 20:49, 15 March 2007 (UTC)
I'd be really careful with that. If you reveal something confidential, you could get in some hot water. Doesn't help your case for getting hired either.--Analogue Kid 02:19, 16 March 2007 (UTC)
It was an open interview. They chose to make the information available to the public. And at $9/flight hour, half what other airlines pay, I'll pass. 71.212.94.81 19:47, 16 March 2007 (UTC)
Well I will leave the fact tags on until that information comes out in print or on the net. As for the job, I agree with you, I would definitely pass on the pay. Although if Skybus is successful the 10% commission could easily make up for the low pay and then some. But that is neither here nor there. Oh, is the info about the advertisements in reference to the exterior, the interior, or both? Polypmaster 14:10, 17 March 2007 (UTC)
According to the director of inflight, anything a company wants to put an ad on will be for sale, inside and out.71.212.100.201 04:11, 24 March 2007 (UTC)
Interseting. Well as much as I think that it may be a nusiance, they might actually succeed. Until this info I really had no idea how they planned on keeping fares below Southwest. If this succeeds, I think they will grow very fast. If not, they will crash and burn within a year. Polypmaster 05:06, 24 March 2007 (UTC)
Is the info about the Nationwide livery from an inside source info also? Also, if someone has a pic of that, it would be great. Hey! I just found one by the same author of the one on the article now. I will request permission for the use of it. I think a photo of it counts as proper citation. Polypmaster 05:09, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

this airline is happening as they are now lnading at pease every day


Can anybody reference the claim that 156 seats on an A319 require 28" pitch? Or did somebody compute that as 30" * 144 (usual capacity) / 156? The "Germanwings configuration" of A319, designed by the German no-frills airline of that name, apparently achieves 156 capacity with normal pitch (by removing screens etc). Given their number is exactly the same, I'd guess Skybus borrowed the configuration?

[edit] Destinations

Is this actually sourced on the date that April 16 will be announced the destinations. I can not find this anywhere. Is it true? Arigont 13:10, 14 April 2007 (UTC)

Hey Arigont, I was wondering the same thing! I can't find that information anywhere. I live in Columbus and I went to the news websities, newspaper, google, ask.com, altavista, and tons of other things but got nothing. WHO EVER PUT APRIL 16, PLEASE TELL WHERE YOU FOUND IT OUT!!! Thanks, American Airlines 757-767 Captian J.P.


I agree, this info is unsourced. As Skybus just received their waiver to begin selling flights early and they have stated this will happen by the end of April I feel that this info is very plausable and felt I should leave it until Monday. If no info appears today, it will be removed. I am assuming, however, that the person who added it is either a Skybus employee or a Port Columbus employee.
Also, the list of destinations was briefly posted on the Port Columbus International Airport article before the same person deleted it. Either someone knows something they aren't supposed to release yet or they have way too much time on their hands to make up all that info. Check out the history of Port Columbus to see it, I have a feeling it is correct. Polypmaster 14:45, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
Should the destinations article and the Port Columbus include Cancun and Nassau? Skybus filed an application for those cities. They want to start on Oct 1.

23:25 (UTC) 02 Jul, 2007

There is a note in the main article about that. However, the move is pending regulatory approval, thus we can't confirm that they will actually fly there. Once the company makes an official announcement and starts booking tickets, then it can be added to the destination page.--Analogue Kid 00:38, 3 July 2007 (UTC)
Then they should be listed as ...Cancun/Nassau(Starts October 1, 2007/Pending Gov't Approval)...

[edit] Criticism section

This section either needs sourced or deleted. I'm a bit more in favor of deletion because none of the flights have started yet so how can we know how experenced the pilots & flight attendents are or how "pushy" the flight attendents are until they start flying. Jon 14:21, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm in favor of removing the section. FatBurger 19:54, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

I originally added it because there were multiple online discussions between pilots and other aviation enthusiasts regarding the low wages and non-union employees and it seemed pertinent to include the thoughts of the airline industry about the airline. I have since lost the location of the website and I don't even know if an internet chat is a valid reference or if it constitutes as original research. Either way, I have removed the section because it is too early for valid references regarding criticism. Polypmaster 01:03, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Keep it removed (for now). There was too much commentary in it. // Pilotguy radar contact 00:35, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm amazed that this section was deleted-Skybus has certainly attracted more than it's fair share of criticism, and lack of this section in the article is misleading. I flew Skybus for the first time a few days ago, Oakland to Port Columbus, and had a miserable experience. While some of this can certainly be chalked up to bad luck, I can confirm some of the issues that seem to be referenced here (although I cannot find the original criticism section (new to editing)). First, I flew on Dec. 26, 2008 on flight 215 in what the pilot claimed to be a 1 year old Airbus, and I it certainly looked new. The seats lacked the fabric accordion seat back pockets, which I've never seen before.

I experienced approximately one hour line to check bags, even though no other airline at that terminal in Oakland had more than one or two parties in line. Skybus appeared to have only 2 staff working at the counter at that time. The party in front of me during the boarding process claimed they had paid for priority boarding but were placed in boarding group 3. My brother, who was joining me, had paid for priority boarding on his flight out to Oakland from Port Columbus but had been placed in group 3 on that leg.

Finally, I was woken up during my flight by a pilot (not the captain of this flight) who took the opportunity to tell me why I should purchase a set of goods they walked through the cabin on a cart, especially the children's' backpacks. He discussed the backpacks at length. I fly a lot and have never experience this sort of sales pitch in the cabin before. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.164.203.75 (talk) 00:36, 1 January 2008 (UTC)


What are the headquarters' address, telephone numbers, addresses for chief executives' email ?... check with business libraries' reference desks and check business directories for the headquarters' address, telephone numbers, addresses for chief executives' email. dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu 12:40, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

Is this information useful in a Wikipedia article? Or is there some other reason for it? Polypmaster 18:38, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Apples to Oranges Comparison

"Starting pilot wages will also be well below average, starting at $65,000 annually.[12] The average commercial airline pilot wage is approximately $135,000.[13]" The second sentence is apples to oranges because it's comparing a starting pilots salary to the pilots with average about of experence. Jon 18:34, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

It used to say the average starting pilot's wages is $100,000 but it was changed. I will find the reference I used and fix it. Polypmaster 21:39, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Useful information

Is the chart about number of aircraft in service, type and seating size needed? That information can be found in other paragraphs and in the infobox. Even if we want to keep it, the leased 319s are 144 seats, the new ones coming at the end of 2008 will be 156. Polypmaster 13:44, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

All aircraft pages have a chart listing the Fleet which include: number in service, type, and passenger capacity (some also have "routes used"). Sox23 20:43, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
Ok, that's fine. It just seems repetitive, but standards are standards. Polypmaster 21:18, 25 May 2007 (UTC)


Average CPT pay is:70K (if you work extra) Average F/O Pay is:33K (if you work extra) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.153.165.141 (talk) 14:57, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] New Aircraft

I am curious if anyone has any updated information on the 65 aircraft Skybus ordered from Airbus. Originally they were to begin delivery at the end of 2008, but it appears that Skybus has already received their first plane. (see: http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a319-3171.htm) Notice that the first flight of this aircraft was June 20th, 2007. According to other sources on the net this is the first plane to be delivered to Skybus, but I have not seen any info in a credible news source. I also believe this is their first 156 seat plane. Thanks for any info. Polypmaster 21:40, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

The plane that Skybus recieved is a leased aircraft from airbus and is not one of their own planes, it also only has 2 bathrooms and larger galley space. They also will be geting 2 older a319 from Air Canada later this year. Thanks Skybuspilot10123

Thanks. Is this a 156 seater? Polypmaster 18:15, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

No it is a 150 seater. Skybuspiolt10123

Thanks again. I am curious whom it is leased through since every reference to the plane online insists it is Skybus's first purchased aircraft. The fist pictures of it were also in Europe. I am not saying that the internet is always a very reliable source, but there must be some accurate data on this aircraft. Polypmaster 23:34, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

You are seeing info like that because Skybus did lease the aircraft from Airbus. One of the very few aircraft in the world that are. The first purchased aircraft from Airbus will have 2 isles and a seating of 2-2-2. Skybuspilot10123

Very interesting. You are a wealth of information. Seriously. That is an interesting setup. It actually sounds better for the passengers and will allow for faster turn around. Good luck in your endeavors. I hope to see Skybus start to pull 24 minute turns soon. I haven't seen it yet, but it is early. Polypmaster 03:21, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, The Flight Attendents keep telling everyone about it so i did. Have you flown us yet? --Skybuspilot10123 16:06, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

Just to add some info, I was at the Airport last night and saw plane N552SX which according to the FAA database is owned by the International Lease Finance Corporation. Guess they take whatever planes they can get.--Analogue Kid 18:10, 27 July 2007 (UTC)
No, I haven't yet. I don't buy my own tickets usually, so its up to the company buying my flights. I am sure I will fly Skybus at least once by next year though. Yea, the Virgin america planes are owned by ILFC I think. I am not sure, but that is the impression I got. Polypmaster 15:07, 28 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Citation Templates

Golich17 has decided that this page should be cited with only a direct link rather than use of a citation template. He states that using templates is messy and time consuming. I personally have not done a whole lot of work on this page, but I know others who have would probably like to comment. Wikipedia:Citing_sources#How_to_cite_sources notes that neither method is preferred, however if a page has consistently used one style, it should not be changed without discussion first. I personally am in favor of using citation templates. Especially with news, if the link goes dead for some reason, it is much easier to track down the particular text when you have all the info there. Because it does specifically say "citation templates should not be added against consensus, and editors should not change articles from one style to another if there are objections" in WP:REF, I'm going to revert the page back to its previous state pending the outcome of this discussion.--Analogue Kid 19:15, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

  • No I did not say it is time consuming, I said it's space consuming. It uses alot of space in the pages and is hard to edit. They are not direct links as you've stated, they still state the source, the date of the article, as well as a description, all showing in the references area. They are easier to understand and read, and they can be placed in the specific area rather than taking up 7 or 8 lines, which is pointless. They are also easier to add, should a new reference come available. I haven't had objections as to referencing articles like such, therefore it is in my beliefs that you do not frequently edit pages for airline, airports, or aviation in general. I like consistancy, and the way I reference is consistent with the way other pages are referenced.--Golich17 00:02, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
  • Also furthermore... certain references are blogs or chat-style websites, which shouldn't be used as they can be false and/or biased. I added links to manufaturers such as Airbus or CFM, and they are OFFICIAL press releases. Many articles I noticed are from the Columbus Dispatch, but you shouldn't rely on those pages, as the articles expire and you usually have to pay to see them again. So I say that the way I reference is the correct way, whether policy says it right or wrong. Wikipedia is full of flaws which need to be identified, and this is one of them. Make life simple, not hard.--Golich17 00:06, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
    • I prefer the citation templates because they are more formal, though if others are having a particularly tough time editing, then by all means convert them. I am not particularly attached to one style, that is just the style I chose. As for the Dispatch articles, while you have to pay for articles in the archive, they also keep all articles organized by date and category, which are free and always accessible. Those are not linked to directly, but you can get to any date by putting in http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/contentbe/dispatch/yyyy/mm/dd/ (replace the end with the date). Yes it is dumb, but boy does it make linking to the Dispatch easy. But anyways, I am ok with conversion, or if others would rather keep the citation templates then I can clean them up more so it is easier to edit. I would like to hear from a couple more people on this too, as I know there are others that have contributed. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Polypmaster (talk • contribs) 01:33:28, August 19, 2007 (UTC).
    • I also prefer the citation templates for a number of reasons. As noted by Polypmaster, they enforce a standardized style that feels close to the standard forms used in academia. They separate data from presentation. They provide a guide to editors as to what information should be included; if a link becomes inaccessible, we still have the publication, author, date, title, and so on. Golich17's untemplated versions aren't too bad (compared to the articles where only a URL is provided as a citation), but he's still dropping some information, such as the article title. The templates don't have to take up several lines; when I use them I condense them down to a single "line" (which wraps because they're usually longer, but I'm not adding line breaks in the template). -- Hawaiian717 23:26, 20 August 2007 (UTC)
      • I have changed the spacing on the citation templates for a couple of articles, which I think make editing easier. They are not single-line, but I think they make the difference between references and text more obvious. Take a look at the Port Columbus International Airport editing page and tell me what you think. If people still feel they are hard to discern, we could go to single-line citation templates. Thanks. Polypmaster 23:50, 20 August 2007 (UTC)
        • Templates period make things more difficult. In my opinion, they shouldn't be used as far as referencing articles. People can access information, such as the name of the article, etc. by going to directly to the source. Single-line templates are in my opinion just as good as the way I source my articles.--Golich17 16:39, 21 August 2007 (UTC)
          • No, we can't assume that readers can follow links to a source to get details about it (name of the article, etc). Some news sources remove content from their site after a while; typically moving them into pay-to-access archives. Note that WP:CITE#HOW states: "Citations for newspaper articles typically include the title of the article in quotes, the byline (author's name), the name of the newspaper in italics, date of publication, page number(s), and the date you retrieved it if it is online." While your style seems pretty good (certainly better than url-only citations), citation templates provide a form of consistency that is lacking when everyone enters citations however they choose. A nice thing about using a template is that I can put the arguments in whatever order I feel like at the moment and they all appear correctly. -- Hawaiian717 20:17, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Rating

I stumbled across this article and I do not see why it is not a B-class article. The reasons stated were bad referencing but I think the citation templates and number of references are more than sufficient for a B-class article. I would suggest the main editors submit this article for a new rating. Professor Davies 19:02, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

  • I agree. I left it as a start-class article even after the problems were fixed because the airline had just started operations and the information changed daily. As I have contributed significantly to this article, I ask someone else to review it and change the rating as necessary. Polypmaster 15:04, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Well-worded text

While reviewing one of the references about the Charlotte flights, I noticed that the information provided seemed eerily familiar to a lot of text I wrote in the Wikipedia article on Skybus. By the end I had realized that the author of the article not only used the Wikipedia information to write his article, but he misinterpreted the funding section. When he stated that Skybus had raised $233 million in startup capital, I thought to myself, "I don't remember that number from anywhere. I thought is was $160 million." I then looked at the Wikipedia article and noticed that the wording in the funding section suggests the $72.7 million raised in second-round funding is seperate form the $160 million, not part of it. Adding those numbers, you get $232.7 million. I changed the wording so it makes more sense, but this is a good lesson in proper writing. While I do not advocate journalists referring to Wikipedia for their articles, it will happen regardless, so everyone needs to be careful. Have a good day. Polypmaster 14:14, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Insider Information

I just noticed that MD11Driver made a number of edits recently that do not have any references, and are most likely insider information. On top of that, they are poorly worded with a number of run-on sentences. While insider sources are not unacceptable, without a reference to the source the information is essentially useless in an encyclopedia. I am too busy to work on these edits, but the options are:

a) Revert them until sources for the information are found.

b) Clean up the text, remove/edit any biased text, and add sources.

Until this is done, the article's information is questionable at best. No offense to MD11Driver, I appreciate your additions, but as Wikipedia is in encyclopedia format and is heavily scrutinized, all attempts must be made to provide clear, concise, accurate, unbiased information to its readers.

Polypmaster 11:37, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Founding date

I have a question. Does anyone know the exact year when Skybus was founded? Reading the Skybus Airlines article last summer, it said that the airline was founded in 2006. Reading the article today, it said that the airline is founded in 2004. I wonder which one is more correct. NHRHS2010 talk 05:40, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

From what I have read, Skybus was originally conceived in 2004, but it was not incorporated until 2006. I do not know the exact numbers, but there was news about Skybus starting in 2004. Polypmaster 02:00, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Interior Advertisements

I recenty flew round trip on Skybus to Punta Gorda, and I did not see any advertisements on the interior of either aircraft. I flew down on the Capital One sponsored plane, and flew back on the "Spirit of Columbus" aircraft. Neither plane contained ANY interior advertisements (excluding the in-flight shopping magazine). The "increasing revenue" section may need to be edited to tell that only part of skybus's fleet contains interior advertisements, or that interior advertising is something that will be incorporated on future skybus aircraft as a means of increasing revenue.

User:70.60.16.198 6:11, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Fares

It looks like the $10 fares are a thing of the past. If you goto their website the cheapest fares start at $35 each way and on some weekends it is $55. This even applies to flights from new airports. I have not updated the article, because I cannot find an article confirming the fare increase. 22.24z 10 Jan 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.104.27.5 (talk) 22:24, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Pleae fix the Average Captains pay....it is so far off. Average Cpt pay is about 70K IF YOU WORK EXTRA. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.153.165.141 (talk) 14:51, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Passenger yield

This is listed at the end, can anyone explain what it is? Thanks! 140.180.166.176 (talk) 19:01, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Focus city

Does SX have any focus cities? Could Portsmouth NH count as one? 68.38.85.192 (talk) 20:21, 4 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] website as of april 5, 2008

in case article needs it:

Skybus Announcement

Skybus Airlines will cease all operations effective Saturday, April 5.

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.

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.

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.

All flights for Friday, April 4 will be completed. Passengers holding reservations on flights for Friday, April 4 should check in for their flight at a Skybus kiosk at the airport instead of the Skybus website. -Obrez (talk) 21:56, 5 April 2008 (UTC)