Launched in 2003 and discontinued in 2006, Hooters Air was based in Myrtle Beach and charged a $129 flat rate to 15 destinations.
Every flight aboard Hooters Air was staffed by two Hooters Girls, and they did wear their signature shorts and tank top ensembles. Since they lacked the FAA certification that the flight attendants had, Hooters servers could not operate any machinery onboard, like closing the airplane doors or pushing the food carts. In addition to the Hooters servers who entertained passengers with trivia and jokes, three FAA-certified flight attendants were also aboard every flight. These flight attendants did not don the usual garb associated with the restaurant chain.
The airline’s demise was compounded by a few factors. They started the airline as the airline industry was recovering from the 9/11 attacks when people were scared of getting on airplanes. There was growing low-fare competition in the market with competitors such as Southwest. Plus jet fuel prices were trending upwards making this not an economically viable business.
