Mechanical, Logistical Issues Delay Columbus-Greensboro Trip

All things considered, upstart ultra-low-cost carrier Skybus enjoyed a relatively problem-free first week of operations. But it's that eighth day that'll get ya.

On Tuesday, the inaugural Skybus flight from the carrier's Columbus, OH hub to Greensboro, NC was delayed over three hours, due to a faulty temperature-monitoring system valve in the plane's cargo hold. Technicians first replaced the valve, but ultimately had to substitute another plane after an indicator light continued to flash.

"I hate that this happened, but it happened," Skybus CEO Bill Diffenderffer, who was a passenger on the flight, told TheStreet.com. "We had one of those worst of all cases, a creeping delay, until we said, 'Let's switch the airplane.'"

"We followed procedures exactly the way they are supposed to be followed, even when the CEO is going to be embarrassed for being late on an inaugural," Diffenderffer added.

Alas, that wasn't the end of the problems on the flight. The scheduled 25-minute turnaround in Greensboro took about twice that long (TheStreet notes the Skybus website shows a 24-minute turn, but says the plane's wheels were chocked for about 50 minutes) and the airline's plan to board passengers on the ramp via airstairs hit a snag, as the portable stairs would not accommodate wheelchairs.

And even that wasn't the end of it... though the last problem wasn't the airline's fault.

A passenger reportedly became frantic when she thought she had left a child's medicine onboard the plane from the flight down to Greensboro. Agents searched the aircraft... until the passenger was reminded she did, in fact, have the medicine after all.

FMI: www.skybus.com