You can fly Skybus for 10 bucks - but there's a catch

Air travel for the price of a pizza? It's possible.

Skybus Airlines now offers one-way airline tickets for just $10 (plus taxes), but you won't find these flights departing from major airports.

Instead, in the New York area, you'll have to travel to tiny Stewart Airport in Newburgh, about 55 miles north of Manhattan. And you will also have to be one of the first 10 passengers to book a seat through Skybus' Web site.

For now, the destination choices are few, but Skybus hopes to grow.

New Yorkers have experience helping propel discount airlines, and have made JetBlue an industry force. Companies like Southwest, Spirit and AirTran also offer cheap flights.

And, a few decades ago, thousands of New Yorkers were thrilled by the fare chart of People Express.

But nobody can top Skybus' one-way flight for a sawbuck.

"Our business model is a clone of Southwest Airlines and Ryanair," the Irish carrier, said Skybus CEO Bill Diffenderffer. "We're keeping costs down, but putting a smile on our service."

Bargain fliers can get tipped off to the $10 deals by subscribing to Skybus' e-mail service.

"The e-mail is typically sent at 6 a.m. and, within hours, those low-fare seats are gone," said Mike Hodge, Skybus' chief financial officer.

If you miss out on the $10 fare, you may find a $35 ticket, which is still cheaper than virtually all competitors.

The small airport strategy is one way Skybus keeps fares down.

Planes fly from Stewart only to Skybus' hub in Columbus, Ohio, and to Greensboro, N.C. From Columbus, however, connections can be made to more than 16 destinations.

"We chose to work with smaller airports because our passengers can get in and out of the airports easily, plus it helps to keep our costs down," Diffenderffer said. He added that tarmac time typically is minimal.

The dirt cheap fares have not made everyone a fan. Lou Straney, a retired Wall Street worker now living in Ohio, gave Skybus a thumbs down.

"I was drawn to the airline because of its low prices, although I was never able to find a $10 fare," said Straney, 61. "I wound up paying about the same price as I would have paid with other airlines."

Yet flying Skybus meant driving to an out-of-the-way airport and other inconveniences, Straney said. "In my experience, it's just too unreliable."

Diffenderffer defended Skybus' no-frills approach and lack of free amenities. After all, he said, it's how they keep fares low.

As part of its cost saving moves, passengers have to personally transfer their bags from plane to plane each time there's a layover.

"The trick is to avoid checking luggage so you can walk from one flight to the next," Hodge said.

By the end of this month, Skybus' fleet will number seven planes. The company has ordered 65 new planes from Airbus for 2008 and beyond.

"We plan to expand our offerings in the New York market in terms of where we fly," Hodge said.

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You can fly Skybus for 10 bucks - but there's a catch