Remember this ad from Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman from his 2007 campaign?

It is still on the front page of Mike’s campaign website:

Well, Skybus is no more:

Skybus Airlines, which had two daily flights out of Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport, ceased operations Friday, citing rising fuel costs and the sluggish economy, according to officials. [...]

On its Web site, Skybus said it would complete all its Friday flights, then cease operations. Future ticket-holders should seek a refund through their credit card companies where possible, the airline said, urging customers to check the Skybus Web site for updates.

The problem that the Airlines face are government controls, which keep them from merging to eliminate waste. And as Skybus and Virgin Airlines learned, it is very difficult for new airlines to be allowed access to the most popular airports.

However, Skybus is a perfect example of how the government shouldn’t be in the business of investing your money to “create jobs.” As the Buckeye Institute reported, Skybus received $57 million in government subsidizes. And a number of higher quality airlines were forced to drop routes to airports which Skybus serviced.

We shouldn’t mourn for the loss of a crappy airline service that had sloppy business model. But we should pity those abused taxpayers who will continue to be forced to hand over money to politically-connected private businesses.