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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SilentZ who wrote (163438)	3/8/2003 3:13:35 AM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1575596

Hooters Air Takes Flight ATLANTA - If any of the passengers who boarded an aging Hooters Air 737 Thursday suffered from a fear of flying, none showed it. Perhaps it was the thought of attractive young women in hot pants and tight-fitting tank tops that set them ease. "We are politically incorrect and everybody knows it," Robert Brooks, chairman of the Hooters of America restaurant chain and owner of the airline, told reporters following a brief ceremony marking the inaugural flight at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport. "We aim to bring the fun back to flying," said Brooks, who noted that the airline was not merely a marketing tool for the more than 330 Hooters outlets in the United States and 10 other countries. In a throwback to an era when airlines sought to titillate as well as transport their largely male clientele, the Hooters of America restaurant chain christened its namesake air service Thursday with a maiden flight between Atlanta and the resort town of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was clear from the outset of the 45-minute flight that Hooters, which describes itself as "delightfully tacky," had an altogether different set of assets in mind when it decided to enter the fiercely competitive but financially-ailing airline industry. Two of the ubiquitous "Hooters Girls," dubbed "ambassadors" for the purpose of the flight, greeted gawking passengers at the cabin door. Both wore the skimpy orange and white outfits made famous by the restaurant chain over the past 20 years. Indeed, Hooters Air believes it can mimic other low-cost carriers, such as Jet Blue Airways Corp. of New York, and take a good slice of passengers from the more established big airlines. Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways already serve the Atlanta-Myrtle Beach route. The market for Hooters Air is made up largely of mostly male golfers and sportsmen, who presumably will be willing to pay good money to rub shoulders with scantily clad pretty women at 30,000 feet. The airline may also win the hearts of some tourists traveling to Myrtle Beach, the nation's #1 beach destination. "We wanted something different and fun," said Brian Hamilton, 40, who flew with his wife as part of a trip celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary. "We'll definitely consider flying Hooters again," Hamilton said. FLYING RETRO The airline is admittedly starting off small. Initial plans are to fly one retrofitted plane between Atlanta and Myrtle Beach round trip four times per week. A second route from Newark, New Jersey, to Myrtle Beach via Atlanta will be added on March 20. The airline hopes to make up in comfort what it lacks in scope. Its orange-and-white jets, operated by a flight crew from Pace Airlines of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, are equipped with 112 leather seats that have slightly more leg room than economy seats on other carriers. At about $130 for a one-way ticket between Atlanta and Myrtle Beach, Hooters' fares are in line with competitors. Prices do not change regardless of when they are purchased, which the airline hopes will draw last-minute travelers. IN DANGER OF GOING BUST? But industry analysts say Hooters Air will be hardpressed to offer regularly scheduled service for long. Airlines have lost billions of dollars since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States threw the industry into an unprecedented financial crisis. Wall Street estimates the major carriers lost between $8 billion and $10 billion in 2002. Henry Harteveldt, an airline analyst for Forrester Research in San Francisco, described Hooters Air as a novelty idea that would not give the bigger players anything to worry about. "I expect Hooters Air to bounce along until they go bust," Harteveldt said. "They will never be a major factor in the scheduled market. It is proof that there is no shortage of stupid ideas in the airline business." 03/06/03 19:50 ET Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited.