Customers swoop in for $10 airline tickets in Gary

BY KEITH BENMAN, Times of Northwest Indiana
kbenman@nwitimes.com

GARY | Skybus Airlines began selling tickets for June and July flights Wednesday, prompting a rush for the airline's $10 tickets that bogged down bookings on its Web site at mid-morning.

The Gary-bound airline put tickets for sale for Gary/Chicago International Airport and 21 other destinations. The first 10 seats on every flight sell for $10.

"We know every time we put a new group of tickets on sale, there's a mad rush for the $10 fares," said Skybus CEO Bill Diffenderffer, in a prepared statement. "This time, with even more flights and destinations available, we anticipate another rush."

A check of the Skybus online reservations center during the day showed the $10 tickets were going slightly faster for Greensboro to Gary flights than for Gary to Greensboro.

Gary airport director Chris Curry said Skybus and Greensboro already have teamed to advertise the flights in North Carolina, billing the Gary destination as Chicago (Gary). The campaign has included radio ads and other media.

"The marketing for Gary is already on the streets in Greensboro," Curry said.

At 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, $10 tickets for Greensboro to Gary on 20 dates in June and 18 dates in July had already sold out. Tickets at $10 for Gary to Greensboro on 15 dates in June and 17 dates in July had sold out.

When the $10 tickets sell out the next price charged for seats is usually $35 and then $55. Tickets on some June and July dates had already hit $55 on Wednesday afternoon.

Tickets for a number of dates in March have already hit $75.

In about two weeks, radio ads and billboards for Skybus will start appearing in Northwest Indiana, Curry said.

In January, the airport authority board approved spending $40,000 for an ad campaign on Lakeshore Public Television (WYIN).

Skybus announced Jan. 9 it would start flying two daily flights between Gary and its secondary hub at Greensboro on March 13.

The Gary airport currently has no regularly scheduled passenger service. The last airline there was a fledging startup called SkyValue, which folded after five months of flying.

Skybus touts itself as the "next generation" of discount airlines and is based on the model of Dublin, Ireland-based Ryanair. Skybus began flying from its main hub of Columbus, Ohio, in May.

It currently flies seven Airbus A319s and will have 11 flying by the time Gary flights begin, according to company executives.