Hooters Air

Hooters Air was an airline headquartered in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States.[1][2][3] Hooters Air flights were operated by Winston-Salem, North Carolina–based Pace Airlines both as ad hoc private charters, and as scheduled USDOT public charters. As such, flights operated both under Pace Airlines' IATA Code of Y5 for ad hoc charters, and under its own IATA Code of H1 for public charters.

Hooters Air
IATA ICAO Callsign
H1
Y5		 – Pace
Founded2003
Commenced operationsMarch 6, 2003 (2003-03-06)
Ceased operationsApril 17, 2006 (2006-04-17)
Fleet size7
Destinations17
Parent companyPace Airlines
HeadquartersMyrtle Beach, South Carolina
Key peopleBob Brooks (founder)

History

The airline was established in 2003 and started operations on March 6, 2003. It was founded by Hooters of America restaurant owner Robert Brooks, who acquired Pace Airlines in December 2002.[4] All flights were operated by Pace Airlines. Hooters Air was owned by Hooters of America, Inc. Brooks initially envisioned Hooters Air as an unconventional means of generating awareness for the Hooters restaurant brand;[5] the carrier was sometimes referred to as a "flying billboard" for the restaurant chain.

Hooters Air Boeing 737 waiting on the ramp at Orlando International Airport

Aside from its unorthodox neighborhood chain-restaurant tie-in, Hooters Air sought to differentiate itself from other carriers with a distinctive style of in-flight service. The carrier was marketed towards golfers in an effort to bring casual and tournament players to Myrtle Beach's 100+ championship golf courses. Two "Hooters Girls," dressed in their restaurant uniforms, were on each flight assisting the (traditionally attired) in-flight crews with hospitality duties. The company advertised nonstop flights for most routes, including slogans like "Fly a mile high with us." Although Hooters Air billed itself as a low-fare carrier, rows of seats were removed from the aircraft to provide a 34-inch (86 cm) seating pitch to all passengers, comparable to the legroom offered by many carriers' business classes; in keeping with the golf-friendly orientation of the carrier, this was called "Club Class" seating. Additionally, all seats were upholstered in dark blue or black leather, and all aircraft were painted in Hooters' orange and white company colors featuring the company logo, and mascot ("Hootie the Owl"), on the vertical stabilizer. Also, at a time when many low-cost carriers were eliminating in-flight frills in an effort to curtail expenses, Hooters Air served complimentary meals to all customers on trips lasting over one hour.

On December 8, 2005, Hooters announced that it would end service to Rockford, Illinois on January 5, 2006, as a result of the airport authority's bringing in a competing airline (United Airlines) on its Rockford-Denver route, and providing revenue guarantees for the competitor.

All commercial services were suspended on January 9, 2006. Parent company Pace Airlines continued with charter services for another three years, ceasing operations in September 2009.[4] On April 17, 2006, Hooters Air ceased operations, halting scheduled public charter service and refunding tickets. The company attributed this cessation of service primarily to a marked increase in fuel costs in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the autumn of 2005.

The airline is estimated to have cost Hooters of America $40 million.[6]

Destinations

Destinations at closure

Service to the following airports ended on April 17, 2006.[7]

United States

Bahamas

United States

Fleet
Hooters Air Boeing 737-300

The Hooters Air fleet consisted of the following aircraft (in 2006):[13]

See also

References
  1. Cross, Lee (April 17, 2022). "4/17/2006: Hooters Air Ceases Operations". airwaysmag.com. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  2. Canales, Graham Flanagan, Katie. "How Hooters Air went from a successful airline to a $40 million failure in three years". Business Insider. Retrieved November 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Singh, Sumit (March 10, 2022). "The Story Of Short-Lived US Carrier Hooters Air". Simple Flying. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  4. Flight International Directory: World Airlines, p91, April 3, 2007
  5. Helyar, John (September 1, 2003). "Hooters: A Case Study" (PDF). Fortune. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2007.
  6. Horovitz, Bruce. (2013, April 29). "Recipe For Success: 2 Cups Not Enough/30 years ago it was, but now Hooters needs to be more". USA Today, p 4B.
  7. "Hooters Air Announces Cancellation of Service in Selected Cities." Hooters Air.
  8. "Flight Schedules" as of April 6, 2003.
  9. "Flight Schedules" as of June 6, 2004.
  10. "Hooters Air Expands Service". PR Newswire. June 8, 2005. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  11. "Flight Schedules" page up as of January 8, 2007. Hooters Air.
  12. "Hooters Air adds three cities". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  13. "Hooters Air - Details and Fleet History - Planespotters.net". Archived from the original on July 4, 2007.
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