The business press is abuzz this week with news that Skybus Airlines plans a new hub operation at Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTIA) in Greensboro, NC.

“The Skybus decision to make PTIA its newest hub means that we finally have a low-cost carrier that will link the Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point area with Florida, the Gulf Coast, East Coast and the West Coast,” says Brian D. Casey, president and chief executive officer of the High Point Market Authority. “This is very good news for the Market and our guests.”

Known for offering ten or more seats on every flight for $10 each, the low-fare carrier has operated one daily flight between PTIA and Columbus since it began flying in May.

Beginning January 6, 2008, Skybus will add a second daily non-stop flight to Columbus, along with two flights daily to Boston, via Portsmouth International Airport in Portsmouth, NH, Jacksonville/Daytona Beach, FL via St. Augustine Airport, and Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda, FL with two flights daily through Charlotte County Airport in Punta Gorda.

There’s more: Beginning January 17, Skybus will add daily non-stop service to Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Gulfport-Biloxi, MS and the New Orleans area through Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, as well as Hartford, CT/ Springfield, MA through Westover Metropolitan Airport in Chicopee, MA. Then, on February 25, the carrier will begin serving Los Angeles through Bob Hope International Airport in Burbank.

Reservations are available only online and can be made via the Skybus website, www.skybus.com. All non-stop Skybus flights operate on full-size Airbus A319 jets.

“We see the Skybus business model as a perfect fit for our region and the High Point Market not only because it will provide low-cost access to the Market, but because of the time-savings and added convenience buyers traveling here will enjoy thanks to our close proximity to the Piedmont Triad International Airport,” Casey notes. “This new discount airline could benefit more than 22,000 buyers traveling here from across the country and we urge everyone to explore this new travel option.”