The Business Blog at Intuitive.com

Dave Taylor has been involved with the online world since 1980 and is recognized globally as an expert on both technical and business issues. He has been published over a thousand times, launched four Internet-related startup companies, has written twenty business and technical books and holds both an MBA and MS Ed. He's a columnist for the Boulder Daily Camera and Linux Journal and frequently appears in other publications both online and in print. Additionally, Dave maintains four weblogs: The Business Blog at Intuitive.com, Ask Dave Taylor, Dave On Film, and GoFahterhood. Based in beautiful Boulder, Colorado, Dave is an award-winning speaker, sought after conference and workshop participant and frequent guest on radio and podcast programs, as well as active member of his community and busy single father to three children.

Breast, uh, best flights on the East Coast: Hooters Air

In case you still retain your sense of humor about elbowing through security checks, squishing onto a plane and flying about the chaotic skies, there's a new airline in town that might well appeal to folk who like, um, buxom women. Hooters, the restaurant chain known for its sexy waitresses and PG-rated approach to burger joints, has purchased a small charter airline out of North Carolina and in about 10 days begins flights on Hooters Air.

There's a funny column by Scott McCartney about this in The Wall Street Journal where my favorite quote is: "Now here comes Hooters Air, which will begin flying Boeing Co. 737s between Atlanta and Myrtle Beach, S.C., on March 6 after buying a small North Carolina charter company. New York service will soon follow. Each plane will have three flight attendants to meet Federal Aviation Administration regulations, and two "Hooters girls" to do whatever Hooters girls do -- serve chicken wings, I guess."

The launch of Hooters Air opens up all sorts of questions. For example: will Expedia cross-list Hooters Air, and if so, will Expedia have a "child-safe" area on their flight booking system? Will they allow women to breast-feed on the flight?

More seriously, if they can get a license from the FAA to translate their "delightfully tacky yet unrefined" image to an airline, can topless, bottomless, belly-dancing, and S&M flights be far behind? (uh, so to speak!) Hmm.... imagine what this could do to air travel.... it might well be what's needed to pull United out of its terrible slump, among other things!!

Of course, it should be no surprise that the WSJ doesn't agree: "Glitz, glamour and skimpy clothing aren't going to help airlines recover from their financial problems. Carriers need to improve service by reducing hassles, in the airport and on the airplane. They need to offer fair value and understandable rules. They need cheerful workers, even at a time when they are asking -- or telling -- employees to take pay cuts... We don't need flirtatious skies. We need profitable ones."

Posted by Dave Taylor at February 25, 2003 8:22 PM

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