Skybus Proposes Atlanta Headquarters

ATLANTA — Skybus Inc., which recently bought Denver-based Frontier Horizon Airlines, proposed Tuesday to move its headquarters to Atlanta and to offer non-stop service from Atlanta to six cities.

The airline is still operating as Frontier Horizon pending U.S. Department of Transportation approval of Skybus’ purchase. Frontier Horizon had been a unit of Frontier Holdings Inc., which also owns the larger Frontier Airlines.

Skybus, a privately held concern that was formed to buy Frontier Horizon, has not disclosed the purchase price, but it has been estimated at between $15 million and $25 million.

Daily Flights

Skybus proposed that, once its begins operating the old Frontier Horizon this summer, it will provide 19 daily round-trip flights with its six jets from its new base in Atlanta to Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, Washington and Orlando and Tampa, Fla.

It also said none of its one-way fares would exceed $99.

Frontier Horizon currently provides service from Denver to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Washington, and Orlando and Tampa.

However, Fulton County Manager Sam Brownlee said the county commission was unlikely to be receptive to Skybus’ proposal to operate out of Fulton County Airport west of Atlanta.

A similar proposal last year by K-C Aviation Inc. of Wisconsin was rejected by the commission. It said then that Fulton County Airport was best used as a “reliever airport” for Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, which is one of the nation’s busiest airports.

“I don’t see that they (the commissioners) will change their minds,” Brownlee said. “The county is not likely to support what (Skybus) is proposing.”

Larger Proposal

But Skybus’ senior vice president for marketing, David Stamey, said Skybus’ proposal is “on a much bigger scale” than K-C Aviation’s and is “directed at the local market here in Atlanta.”

Skybus is scheduled to present its case to the county commission March 20.