John Weikle
Dayton-area native John Weikle is considered the founder of Skybus, having gotten the idea rolling with Port Columbus in 2003. He was replaced as CEO before the airline began flying.
After Skybus folded, he launched a months-long "Save the 'Bus" campaign; he said he wanted to revive the airline, but his plans never panned out.
In 2009, Weikle backed a low-cost start-up called JetAmerica that was to be based at Toledo Express Airport. That venture ceased operations before its first flight, with company officials saying it was having problems securing landing slots at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, a key city in its route map.
In an email, Weikle said he is "no longer involved in commercial aviation" but declined to discuss what he is doing.
Ken Gile
A 25-year veteran of Southwest Airlines, Ken Gile was president of Skybus. Afterward, he joined low-cost start-up airline FlyDubai, backed by the government of that Middle Eastern country, in August 2008. He remains chief operating officer of the fast-growing company, which announced the addition of its 16th aircraft last year.
Bill Diffenderffer
Skybus CEO until March 2008, just before the fledgling airline's demise, Bill Diffenderffer had come to the leadership role having literally written the book on management. The Samurai Leader came out in 2005, before Diffenderffer was hired to lead Skybus. He released a novel, A Bank of Last Resort, in 2009.
Diffenderffer still lives in the Columbus area. He said last week that he's working on "a couple of things I can't talk about yet," one of which is related to Last Resort. He said he expects to be able to discuss his latest projects later this year.
