Skybust

Update: ALL ABOARD!!!! We have a solution to our problem...thanks to Amtrak! Thankfully I have boys that LOVE trains and LOVE adventure. We board in Milwaukee (1.5 hrs. from here), travel to Chicago & have a 1 hour break in Union Station. Then, we'll board a new train bound for Cleveland. The 2nd leg of our trip travels 8 hours through the night, so I booked a "Bedroom" cabin for us to sleep. Brent is planning to pick us up in Cleveland at 6:22 a.m. on Monday. The Amtrak assoc. was so helpful in booking this for me and it costs less than what our refund will be from Skybus. I am el Cheapo...and even tho time is money, I still don't want to shell out more greenage than is necessary to return home. A friend of mine travelled with her son on Amtrak through the night and had a great experience. I'm banking on experience here! :-)

Have you ever had a cheap getaway turn into the most expensive "vacation" you've ever taken? I'm in a pickle right now, b/c I decided to take a quick getaway with the boys using a "great" new airline called Skybus. Or as my friend Karen mistakenly thought it was called, "Skybust." (I think you may have the gift of prophecy!! lol)

We flew up to Wisconsin on an inexpensive flight to visit Karen & my SIL & my nieces. We paid less than $300 for round trip flights. The problem is, Skybust buckled before they could fulfill my return flight...today. "Houston, we have a problem!" Skybus is not arranging other flights for their customers. Their website says we should call our credit card company to request a full refund. They've never had a CS number to call, b/c they wanted to reduce costs to keep fares low.

Thanks to my friend Andrea for letting me know about the airline's sudden decision to close before I return to Columbus. Now I'm on a mission to figure out the cheapest way back to Ohio. This can not turn into the most expensive getaway! Having Brent pick me up just doesn't seem like a wise option. He's helping run a big basketball tournament in Hilliard this weekend, so that doesn't really work. We're looking online for a return flight - cheapest one flies out of Chicago (3 hours from here) to Dayton, but that will still cost $500. Amtrak can take us within 2 hours of our home (Cinci) and that is the very cheapest option. I think that would actually be kind of fun & the boys would love it...for the first hour of the 10 hour trip!

Please pray that we find a reasonable option to get home. Thankfully, we don't HAVE to be back in Ohio til Tuesday. I really feel for all the travelers that will have to get home at any cost...but I feel even more for those that don't know yet that Skybus has ceased operations. They'll have a surprise awaiting them at the airport for their return.