Discount Airline Skybus' Inaugural Flight Departs

COLUMBUS, Ohio_Skybus, the new Ohio-based airline that offers some tickets for $10 (€7), got off the ground Tuesday with its first flight, a departure to Burbank, California.

The flight to the Los Angeles-area airport was almost full, Skybus spokeswoman Rachel Escusa said.

The company plans to fly to 15 cities from its Columbus hub by the end of the year, trying to compete with Southwest, JetBlue and other no-frills airlines.

The discount airline also had flights to Kansas City and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, north of Boston, on its schedule Tuesday, Escusa said.

Flights between Columbus and the airline's other six initial destinations - including Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Oakland, California; and Bellingham, Washington, about 80 miles (128 kilometers) north of Seattle - will be phased in over the coming weeks.

Every Skybus flight will offer at least 10 tickets for $10 each. Tickets are booked solely through the company's Web site to save costs, part of a business strategy that includes charging passengers for services, such as checked bags and priority boarding.

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On the Net:

Skybus Airlines, http://www.skybus.com/

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