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Managing Editor CHICOPEE Former Holyoke resident Jim O'Neill had one word for the new Skybus service into the civilian side of Westover Air Reserve Base: "Great." O'Neill, now living in Dublin, Ohio, was among the first people using the Skybus service from Columbus, Ohio to Chicopee. Although airline officials would not say how many people had taken the initial flight or how many people were departing from Chicopee on the return, station manager Johhny Wright said the flights were "nearly full." O'Neill, who is a first cousin with Holyoke Mayor Mike Sullivan, said to fly inexpensively from Ohio to New England before Skybus meant taking Southwest Airlines on a route with at least one stop-over. Now he can fly directly and his ticket cost $100 for the round trip. He added the plane, although a no-frills flight was clean and "beautiful." Skybus is a start-up airline based out of Columbus, Ohio, that offers flights through its hub to 12 destinations in the United States and one in Canada. The tickets, which can be as low as $10, are more expensive when purchased closer to one departure date. The Skybus passengers were greeted by staff members of the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau with bags of information about the region. Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonette also greeted the arriving visitors. Chicopee Chamber of Commerce President Gail Sherman said her office has been receiving calls for weeks from people inquiring about the area. She said that the city's hotels and car rentals companies have already seen an increase in business. "This is the frosting on the cake with all that's happening to Chicopee," Sherman said. The terminal's car rental booths were busy with customers Monday night and a Peter Pan bus stood waiting to receive the passengers as well. Skybus is flying to Chicopee once a day at this point with the flight arriving at 6:58 p.m. and departing for Columbus, Ohio, at 7:21 p.m. Wright said that if business increases, the company might consider adding additional flights. Wright said tickets sales, which are done exclusively at the Skybus Web site (www.skybus.com), have been pretty busy with more people coming from the Midwest than departing originally from Chicopee. Wright advised passengers to treat Skybus like any other airline and arrive two hours before departure time to go through the ticketing and security procedures. | ||||||
