Says City Shouldn't Take It Personally

For city leaders in the Indiana industrial city of Gary, it might be hard not to feel at least a little slighted. Less than one week after Skybus Airlines launched heavily-promoted, twice-daily service at Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY), the ultra-low cost carrier announced it will cut that service in half next month.

Skybus spokesman Bob Tenenbaum told the Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune the cutback is due to record fuel costs. "It doesn't reflect in any way on the commitment to Gary," Tenenbaum said. "We do recognize that that's been an issue. That's not the case here."

Indeed, GYY has struggled to attract, and keep, scheduled air service in the shadows of Chicago O'Hare and Midway. Before Skybus, the airport -- which lies 25 miles from The Loop -- relied on now-defunct Hooters Air, which folded its wings in 2006.

Still, even reduced air service is better than none. As of April 15, Skybus will fly just one daily flight between Gary and Piedmont Triad International Airport near Greensboro, NC, departing GYY in the late afternoon. Currently, a morning flight is offered as well.

Tenenbaum said the reduction in available seats should result in fuller planes for Skybus. "If you can fly one flight a day and fill it up all the time, you're much better off than flying two flights a day," he said.

GYY Airport Director Chris Curry said the schedule change wasn't entirely unexpected, as Skybus executives talked of possible changes beforehand. "We spoke about a week before the inaugural flight," Curry said. "They indicated that they would be doing some different things with their schedule."

There's also the chance Skybus may add Florida service from Gary as the summer approaches. "Our market, from September to March, is very, very strong with Florida service," Curry said. Tenebaum declined to comment on that, though he did note Skybus is adding direct service to Florida from its other markets.

Even with the cutbacks at Skybus, GYY is looking forward to another airline flying from its gates. Mexican discount airline VivaAerobus announced earlier this month it plans to launch daily service from Gary to Austin, TX, Las Vegas and Monterrey, Mexico this summer.

FMI: www.garychicagoairport.com, www.skybus.com