How to Get $10 Seats on Skybus

Several readers have asked me the best way to get $10 seats on Skybus, so here is a quick primer about getting the best deal on Skybus.

The first thing travelers typically think of when they hear the name Skybus are the $10 seats that the carrier sells on each flight. But, the supply of those fares is very limited, and often travelers are unable to find any deeply-discounted seats.

Does Skybus actually offer $10 fares, or is this just a myth?
Yes, in fact Skybus actually offers 10 seats on every flight for $10 each way excluding taxes and all the extra fees the airline charges for services such as checked luggage, food, and priority boarding.

What extra fees, you mean there's a catch to this?
Well in fact, Skybus charges the same fees to passengers regardless of the ticket type they purchase, so a $10 ticket holder would pay the same fees as a $200 ticket holder. Skybus charges passengers for many services that would be complementary on other carriers, such as checked baggage ($5 for the 1st and 2nd bags and $50 for each additional bag) and priority boarding ($10 per one-way flight). Also, if you want any food or beverages on the flight, you'll need to pay for them. However, none of these fees are mandatory. If you only bring carry-on luggage, don't purchase priority boarding, and don't purchase any food on the plane, you can avoid paying those charges.

How does one get $10 seats? I'm sure they sell out fast.
In fact, they sell out very quickly, often within hours of Skybus offering them. The best strategy is to sign up for Skybus's newsletter which alerts travelers with updates when the carrier announces new destinations or extends the period when seats are for sale, therefore adding many $10 seats on existing routes that were previously unbookable. Once you receive this email, you need to book your seats as soon as possible. Once you get to Skybus's Web site, the $10 fares on the best days may have already been snatched up (though typically, there are other low fares, from $25-75 available). Because there are a limited supply of $10 seats, dithering allows other travelers to snatch up those fares. It's as simple as that.

Is Skybus for real? Can I trust this airline?
Skybus is a relatively new carrier, but unlike other deep-discount airlines that have started up in recent years, this one is not a fly-by-night operation. The airline, extremely well capitalized with $160 million in start-up financing, is not disappearing anytime very soon. However, some analysts (including myself) doubt the long-term viability of the carrier, because the company is facing high fuel costs and has had trouble generating strong yields.

What about these alternate airports? How will that add to my travel costs?
In many cities, Skybus uses alternate airports, which are typically farther away from city centers and less well-served by public transit. Examples include Portsmouth, New Hampshire for Boston and St. Augustine, Florida for Jacksonville. There are advantages and disadvantages to using these alternate airports. Because alternate airports are typically underutilized, there is a lower risk of delays than at larger, busier airports, and it requires far less time to check in and walk to the gate. However, if the alternate airport is not in a convenient location, then you could spend a considerable amount of money to drive to the airport and pay for parking, all of which add up and need to be considered when calculating total travel cost.

What if something goes wrong? Will Skybus accommodate me?
Like many ultra-low-cost carriers, Skybus will do very little if your flight is canceled. Because the airline lacks reciprocity agreements with other airlines, you could be stranded if your flight is canceled. Skybus will typically only offer you a ticket on its next available flight, or a refund (which doesn't do much good if you only paid $10 for your ticket in the first place). And since there is little airline service from many of the airports that Skybus services, even if you try to purchase a new ticket on a different airline, you could be out of luck unless you go to a different airport. While Skybus is typically reliable, you should have a backup plan in case something goes wrong.

Are there other carriers like Skybus? Can I get $10 fares elsewhere?
The US carrier most similar to Skybus is Spirit Airlines, which offers most of its service from Fort Lauderdale to points along the Eastern Seaboard, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Unlike with Skybus, Spirit will only offer its very lowest fares on certain days, typically those with lower demand that are unlikely to have full flights. Spirit will sometimes even offer negative fares (where Spirit will pay a small portion of the taxes and fees associated with the trip, but still leaving customers with a bill for the remainder of the taxes and fees). But, there is a catch to this as well. Spirit typically offers these fares exclusively to members of its $9 Fare Club, which for an annual fee permits travelers to purchase deeply-discounted fares from Spirit, including free or virtually free tickets. If you don't want to pay the annual fee, Spirit still offers a range of low fares, as low as $1 in some cases. Like with Skybus, the best way to find out about Spirit's deals is to subscribe to their email newsletter, which alerts you to which routes and days have extra-low fares. Finally, if you see a great fare on Spirit, book it right away before someone else does.