Taking the Air out of Hooters and Hooters Out of the Air

Rising fuel prices and fierce competition between budget airlines and industry stalwarts claim another victim: Hooters Air. The Myrtle Beach-based airline will terminate its operations in April, preserving only a few chartered flights out of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Augured by the steady winnowing of its fleet and cities of service, Hooters' demise comes as no surprise to industry analysts. It might, however, depress breast-men, including my first-class row-companion on a recent flight who, while detailing his myriad domestic and international trips, lamented a single omission in his cosmopolitan cavorting: never having flown aboard Hooters Air. Perhaps Delta will alleviate his regret by hiring Hooters' soon-to-be jobless flight attendants. I'm sure they'd look splendid in those new red uniforms.