Find cheap Sky Airline flights

This Chilean airline is officially stylized as SꓘY and is based in the country’s capital, Santiago. Operating from the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) it is now the second largest airline in Chile, after the flag carrier LATAM, and the first to operate at low cost. Started in 2001, Sky Airline really tries to offer flights to everyone with fair pricing.

Subsidiaries

Sky Airline also operates a low-cost Peruvian subsidiary under a similar name, Sky Airline Peru, with the same recognizable purple and green livery colours. There were once plans to operate an additional subsidiary, Sky Airline Ecuador, but this Quito-based airline was cancelled.

Routes

Sky Airline is a young airline with big plans to expand much more. Currently it operates mostly in Chile, but it also flies to Peru, Ecuador, Argentina and Colombia, as well as to Miami as Sky Airline Peru, via Lima. Sky also flies seasonally to Uruguay and Brazil. There is also a route to Cancun, Mexico, as well as one to the Dominican Republic's favourite holiday destination, Punta Cana.

Future plans

The expansion of this airline is exciting as they will offer cheaper flights for travellers, and with a no fuss model I appreciate. A few more North American destinations are currently being planned, so stay tuned. For long haul international flights, I personally think more comfortable seating would be beneficial. Currently, I find this airline most useful for short hops where extra comfort is less important, as they have a great schedule and fly at times I find convenient.

Fare classes

Sky Airline has a simple three-fare model of booking. Tickets are available in Zero, Plus and Full fare categories.

Zero fare is the no-frills options that’s perfect if you’re travelling light. You can carry on a personal item (like a handbag) and a coat or jacket, and a seat will be randomly assigned for you. The Plus fare is labelled as an all-in-one ticket that allows a personal item, a traditional carry-on bag and a checked bag up to 23 kg. With this fare, you can also choose your own standard seat assignment.

Lastly, the Full fare allows the most flexibility with more customization than the others. It comes with the same allowances of a personal item and a carry-on bag, but also allows a second checked bag up to 23 kg. With this fare, you can also make changes to dates, names, and even destinations at no extra charge.

Baggage rules

As with many low-cost airlines, Sky Airline is very strict with the rules when it comes to luggage, so you will want to adhere to these carefully.

A personal item (included on all fares) means a backpack, a purse or a very small suitcase. It needs to fit under the seat in front of you. A carry-on means it must be stowed in the overhead compartment bin and the weight of this piece is not to exceed 10 kg. Checked baggage that goes in the hold of the plane can be up to 23 kg each.

Seating

The standard seats available to Zero and Plus fare ticket holders include any seat behind the wings and offer about 28 inches of legroom. With Full fare you can choose any seat that you want, including seats in front of the plane, but these seats also only have 71 cm of legroom, so the main benefit is getting off the plane faster.

Alternatively, you can simply book any seat you want if you’re willing to pay extra for the privilege. The exit row seats have slightly more space on some aircraft, so those are always the seats I book on this airline, as there is no business class.

Boarding passes

The airline recommends you print out a copy of your boarding pass, as some of the destination airports require physical passes and won’t accept digital boarding passes. I usually just do both, especially in smaller destinations around South America. Some airports, like Santiago in Chile, have a check-in desk for the airline plus a baggage drop kiosk.

Boarding

Sky Airline does not have a very regulated boarding procedure. In general, they first board people who need extra help and then anyone who paid for a seat, plus those with airline status. After that, it’s basically a single line of whoever is lined up and ready to hop on.

Even though Sky is strict with limiting carry-on, you can still easily run out of overhead bin space on these flights. In this case, your bag will have to be gate checked. Because these flights are so cheap, they are often fully booked, so I’ve had this happen several times. It pays to show up early and get in the front of the line if you don’t want to be separated from your bag.

Loyalty program

Sky Airline has a loyalty program called Sky Plus that allows you to earn points toward rewards. Sky Plus is also affiliated with a bunch of hospitality brands like Accor, TransVIP (a cab company) and the local tourism boards, plus shops like Marley Coffee. You can earn and redeem your points through any of these affiliated brands.

With Sky Airline purchases, you can earn points not only through your ticket, but also through optional upgrades like choosing your own seat and paying for extra baggage.

There are two levels in the Sky Plus program—Gold and Platinum. Gold members receive preferential boarding and Platinum members also receive free seat reservation sand baggage bonuses. If you plan to fly this airline around the region often, it is absolutely worth signing up. It’s free and you can use the points wherever you want.

Airline alliances

Sky Airline is not a member of any airline alliance at this time. You can also not book another airline and connect on a single ticket, except subsidiary Sky Airline Peru, but these tickets are booked through the same website anyway.

Wi-Fi

In case you are planning on working while on air, note that the airline does not have Wi-Fi on any planes at the moment. However, the new routes to North America will include new aircraft outfitted with onboard Wi-Fi.

Entertainment on board

Sky Airline does not offer any entertainment on board. I recommend you bring your own device with things to do or watch already downloaded. If you need to work, this is probably not the best choice of airline, especially for longer routes. It’s still a great deal for short routes that won’t interrupt your workflow for long.

Service charges

As so often occurs with the low-cost airline model, there are charges for most additional services. Sky charges a fee for any changes, including name changes, date changes or itinerary changes. And the charges change from least expensive if made online to more expensive if done over the phone and most expensive when done at the airport with a gate agent.

Change and cancellation policies

Sky Airline policies for changes are a little complex, as they invoke the rules of whichever country you are located in at the time of flying. It is not always as perfectly clear in advance as you might hope.

You are able to change the date, time or route, and you can change these as many times as you would like, but there is a fee every time. The fee is set depending on the fare class of the tickets. You will also have to pay a fare difference for your new selection, if there is one. Charges are accumulated per leg of the journey, and per passenger on the booking.

The same is true for refunds, with specific policies changing depending on the country you fly from. The good news is Full fare tickets are always 100% refundable so I recommend opting for this if you have any doubt about your plans when booking.

Travelling with pets

The airline charges a fee for dogs and cats to be in the cabin and they have to be less than 4.5 kg. In the hold, Sky allows cats, dogs and ornamental birds, also for a fee. I was glad when I found that the costs are moderate for pets on Sky Airline.

Unaccompanied minors

The airline does not allow any unaccompanied minors on international flights (in other words, any flight leaving Chile). But for domestic flights, unaccompanied minors can fly for an additional fee. Sky Airline considers anyone between the ages of 5 and 14 years old (minus one day) to be a qualifying minor for this service.