New US budget airline SkyLink aims for Stansted
Start-up US carrier Skylink Airways has received approval to fly to as many as 15 international destinations.
Not since the 1970s with People Express has there been a US-based low-cost long haul scheduled airline.
Based in Virginia, Skylink intends to fly wide-body Boeing 767s to as many as 15 countries on four continents, beginning this spring with service from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to Stansted, London’s low-cost carrier airport hub, the Washington Post reports.
Aruba, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Slovakia and Taiwan have been named as other potential destinations.
Headed by veteran airline industry executive Kenneth Carlson, Skylink plans to sell economy and business-class tickets at fares claimed to be between 15-70% lower than those offered by traditional carriers.
A one-way business-class fare to Europe will be $700 instead of the $2,300 to $2,400 charged by traditional airlines. Economy fares are planned to start at $300 one-way.
Some industry analysts and CEOs are skeptical about the new airline, as major airlines are also lowering fares and would fight hard to protect their international market profits.
The company’s strategy is to use low cost airport hubs, where it can partner with other US and European low-cost airlines for connecting flights. But one problem could be a lack of interline baggage service between the low-cost airlines.
Report by Charles Kao
Charles Kao
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