Hooters Air Dropping Almost All Service
 

Hooters Air Dropping Almost All Service
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
March 29, 2006 2:40 p.m.

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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP)--Hooters Airlines in Myrtle Beach said Wednesday that it's stopping regularly scheduled air service.

The airline said it will stop its public charter flights April 17 and will run only private charters out of Winston-Salem, N.C.

President Mark Peterson said Hooters Air will serve large groups such as sports teams and tour groups.

Peterson says some of the airline's 350 workers will be laid off in Winston-Salem. About five workers in Myrtle Beach are being laid off.

Hooters started service between Myrtle Beach and Atlanta in 2003.

As of last July, the airline was serving 15 locations.

However, the airline began canceling holiday flights in December. It had stopped most flights in January but had said it would resume service to Myrtle Beach in the spring.

"The flying industry is in a terrible mess," Hooters Air founder and chairman of Hooters of America Bob Brooks was quoted as saying by the Myrtle Beach Sun News on Wednesday. "I've got a fair amount of money, but I don't have enough to fix this animal."

Corrected March 29, 2006 14:40 ET (19:40 GMT)

"The flying industry is in a terrible mess," Hooters Air founder and chairman of Hooters of America Bob Brooks was quoted as saying by the Myrtle Beach Sun News on Wednesday. "I've got a fair amount of money, but I don't have enough to fix this animal."

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-...2.html?mod=air

nobody likes to see Hooters down:(

Hooters suspending "MOST" service? Isn't that a little like saying Abe Lincoln had a headache?

It's a shame to hear of Hooters sagging like that...
I hope they get some support....

SF

More bad news surrounding Hooters Air
There’s more new regarding the collapse of Hooters Air, which is now being sued by Allentown’s (Pa.) Lehigh Valley International Airport for the $1.1 million the airport says are the airline’s unpaid bills. Most of that figure is for unpaid fuel bills, airport officials tell The Allentown Morning Call. "They were behind, and then they caught up, and then they got behind again," airport chief George Doughty says to The Express-Times of Easton, Pa. said. "The amount of money in the matter of a month or two became excessive." The lawsuit comes following Hooters Air’s slow demise over the past four months, in which it made last-minute cancellations that stranded Christmastime travelers and altered flight schedules that sometimes even caught airport officials by surprise.

That is usually a precursor to more cutbacks----or worse.

let's see... bills not paid. I am sure payroll is amiss too. The next step is not bankruptcy... Tango Uniform....

Well, flying contracts at below cost is definately a problem. Just because you keep your planes flying doesn't mean you're making profits. Pace has been under-cutting charter airlines since before HooterAir started up.

So who would you recommend as a good reputable Charter Airline out there? They all seem to be on the edge. SouthEast and TransMeridian both went out suddenly. It seems like there is a serious lack of reliable lift out there for the tour operators. I can't believe Hooters went out as they have the resturant chain to finance problems in the airline.

Miami Air. They are a very reputable charter carrier. They are a top notch operation. The provide great service and product. They have a fleet of B737-800s. They are owned by a St. Louis Company with a money behind them.

The measure of a good charter company is not only the product but also their commitment to their clients, passengers and vendors too.

Poor management by Pace... another bottom feeder operation behind Hooters.

Its sad to hear that Hooters is going tits up, I guess they didnt keep abreast of the situation. I wonder if their flight attendants need a hand.....

No... just sneakers and pantyhose:D

Spin the Wheel...
 

Well, MiamiAir is a good little outfit, and all their pilots break guarantee and fly 75-80 hours per month. Their crews have lots of fun on layovers, and their 737-800s are new. They do wet-lease, DoD and sub-service.

NorthAmerican is profitable, pilots fly over guarantee, and they've had some contract problems with management. Not sure about morale there. They fly 3 767s and 5 757s, for tour operators and DoD worldwide.

Omni Air Int'l made $70 million net profit last year, 4th most profitable US carrier, but crews sit around in hotels frequently, have horribly inefficient and unproductive schedules, and never break guarantee. ALV is 20-25 hours per month, ridiculously low for a charter. Morale is rock-bottom, I hear.

World is profitable, has a great new pilot contract, and flies worldwide in MD11s/DC10s. Not sure about upgrade time, but solid reputation and client base.

Ryan Int'l has a good seasonal operation; flies 737s/757s out of Minneapolis and Atlantic City, Cleveland and Detroit. In summer, they send 737s and pilots to Ireland, Scotland and England for 6 months, to fly for European carrier. They provide housing and rental car, plus extra per diem. Not sure how much they made in '05. One thing that impresses me about them is that if you don't burn your bridge, you're always welcome to come back.

USA3000 is growing, has about 15 A320s, has a solid operation in both scheduled and charter flying, out of places like ORD/MKE/DTW/CLE/PHL/BWI and others, to Mexico, Florida and the Caribbean. They make money, but their F/As and F/Os make the same. CEO hates pilots, I hear. Very productive schedules, Pref Bidding.

Oh crap there goes my first choice! Wonder if Larry Flynn is hiring?

It sounds to me like it's being run by a bunch of boobs. It's too bad that it went tits up.

Ryan pay
 

Thanks for the kind words... all true I might add! Also probably the most expensive. Now that we're working on a new pilot contract things might get messy but so far so good. As I am new to this Forum, I don't have the PM option but would gladly answer any questions about Miami Air Int'l (MAI). I'm trying to find out if anyone out there has the latest pay scale info on Ryan International (the US based carrier)...I believe those posted on this website are not the latest. Thanks in advance for checking.

Hey BigFlyr

You may wish to look into Ryanair... the Dublin Ireland based carrier. Brookfield Aviation of England is the primary supplier of contract pilots. The pay is pretty good too. If you have at least 100 hours of PIC on the -800 you would probably get a direct entry captain's position. Pretty good living conditions too.

Not looking to bail from MAI... too close to upgrade. We are, however looking to improve our contract overall.

here's a semi-hard rumor......abx air is trying to buy pace airlines