March 30, 2006 in Media Orchard, PR and Pop Culture by Scott Baradell

Hooters Air: Brand Extensions Gone Wild(ly Wrong)

From the AP:

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Hooters Air, which featured women in orange short-shorts and tight T-shirts on flights, will be grounded beginning next month except for private charters out of Winston-Salem, N.C.

Bob Brooks, chairman of the Hooters restaurant chain, and president Mark Peterson told The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News for a story Wednesday that the company will focus on charters for tour groups and sports teams.

“The flying industry is in a terrible mess. … I’ve got a fair amount of money, but I don’t have enough to fix this animal,” Brooks told the newspaper. “Now I think the best thing we can do is basically put it to bed, at least for right now, until the industry changes.” …

A woman who answered the phone at the airline’s Myrtle Beach office said neither Brooks nor Peterson would give interviews and referred The Associated Press to The Sun News article. A woman who answered the airline’s customer service line said Hooters would take reservations until April 17. Neither woman would give her name.

Vanity projects can be very expensive — especially when they involve 737s.

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