SKYBUST

After hearing the news, Becker, a sophomore in marketing, was forced to repurchase her tickets from another airline for $295 and still is not sure if she will get a refund from Skybus.

"(Skybus) said nothing... I'm going to have my mom try and call our credit card company to see if we can get a refund through them," Becker said. "It's kind of annoying because they didn't give any clue that they were shutting down and I had to buy more expensive tickets."

Skybus, headquartered in Columbus, opened last May and offered low-cost tickets to numerous destinations around the country, including 10 seats for $10 on every flight. The airline was able to keep the costs of its flights low by charging passengers extra to check baggage, board early, and enjoy an in-flight beverage or snack.

Skybus shut down without notice Friday, leaving passengers and crew members stranded and confused. Four hundred fifty employees and an unknown number of passengers with flights scheduled through Sept. 2 will be affected. The company is expected to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday.

"Skybus struggled to overcome the combination of rising jet fuel costs and a slowing economic environment," said a statement released on the company's Web site. "We deeply regret the impact this decision will have on our employees and their families, customers, vendors, suppliers, airport officials and others in the cities in which we have operated. Our financial condition is such that our Board of Directors felt it had no choice but to cease operations."

Two other airlines, ATA and Aloha Airlines, have also shut down this week after filing for bankruptcy.

"It was the fuel prices that killed us. Most airlines have their fuel prices hedged a year out. Since Skybus was new we did not have that luxury," said Linsey Griffith, former Skybus flight attendant and recent Ohio State graduate, in an e-mail.

"This is really hard for all of us. It took us completely by surprise," Griffith said. "Skybus had its growing pains, but it was a great place to work for. We had a wonderful family atmosphere and an open environment where even flight attendants could e-mail, call, or have lunch with the CEO and President when issues arose. Just know that our board of directors did everything humanly possible to weather this economic storm. This decision was not made lightly."

The Skybus Web site advises passengers to contact their credit card companies to arrange to apply for a refund. More information is expected to be posted as soon as it becomes available.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Anna Gerber can be reached at gerber.124@osu.edu.