http://www.newsday.com/ny-biz-hooters0228.story Hooters has sprouted wings -- and not the spicy hot kind. The self-described "delightfully tacky” restaurant chain said it will launch Hooters Air on Thursday, flying two orange-and-white Boeing 737s with its owl logo on the tail from Atlanta to Myrtle Beach, S.C., with two Hooters Girls aboard. But before you book those reservations, take note: Hooters for commuters it's not. It will add service to Newark March 20, but those are the only cities the airline will serve. Myrtle Beach is home to many golf courses -- not to mention four Hooters restaurants -- and the chain's chairman, Robert Brooks, is a native. And if you're hoping to get your wings, you're more likely to get the kind that pin on your shirt than the edible ones. Only standard snacks and drinks will be offered during flights, said Judy Tull, the airlines' project manager for marketing. "It's my understanding that wings don't travel well,” she said. In addition to the three full-fledged flight attendants, two Hooters Girls, in their "uniforms” of tight T-shirts and shorts, will assist with food and beverages, the company said. There will be one round-trip daily, with fares from Newark to Atlanta costing $189 and $159 to Myrtle Beach. Henry Harteveldt, an airline analyst for Forrester Research in San Francisco, called Hooters Air a "novelty” and said it's a mistake for Hooters to enter the fiercely competitive airline business. "I don't think it will give the CEOs of Delta or AirTran a reason to stay up at night worrying,” Harteveldt said. He added, pun intended, "Sooner or later, we expect we'll see the headline, ‘Hooters Air Goes Bust.'” Jokes are exactly what concerns the Washington, D.C.-based Association of Flight Attendants. Spokeswoman Dawn Deeks said passenger safety is the group's main concern, and if the Hooters Girls help with serving, passengers may assume they also have flight attendant training, which could be a problem in an emergency. Hooters Air, however, insists it's no gimmick. "This is not, ‘We're starting up and it's going away,'” Tull said. "This is a full-fledged air program.”
