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The founder of Skybus Airlines is working on a plan to revive the bankrupt carrier.

John Weikle said Monday night from Dayton, Ohio, that he had been working all weekend to build a team that could reorganize the airline and restore service.

I wrote a letter to the board today and said weve got to find a way to save this save these 450 jobs, Weikle said.

The airline has about $10 million in cash to work with, Weikle said, which is enough seed money to attract other investors.

Skybus filed for protection under Chapter 11 of U.S. Bankruptcy Code over the weekend. Under Chapter 11, a company has the option to return to service if it can. Several airlines have done that in the past.

A deep-discount airline with no-frills service can work, Weikle said. He points to Allegiant Air, which he said is making good profits. Its secret, he said, is on-time performance and controlled expansion.

Allegiant currently flies seven flights a week out of Piedmont Triad International Airport but will end service here May 31.

Weikle, who said he wrote Skybus business plan, had advised the company to open its second hub outside Columbus, Ohio, 18 months after initiating service. But the Greensboro hub, which began its rollout in January, came about six months after the airline began flying.

Weikle is working with Mark Sparling, his vice president for finance during the founding of Skybus. Sparling and Weikle left Skybus not long before it began operations because they disagreed with the boards direction and its choice for chief executive officer, Bill Diffen-derffer.

Richard M. Barron