The last few months have been troubling watching Hooters Air as it has cancelled service abruptly in many cities, and now reports are surfacing that the company is falling behind on its bills.

Hooters Air owes more than $1 million for fuel sales to LVIA; by comparison, the airport brought in $21.7 million in revenue last year. The Myrtle Beach, S.C. airline has been struggling with fuel costs since the fall, airport officials said. It began flying at LVIA last year. The Morning Call

Meanwhile other debts are surfacing that the company is saying is not that important.

According to Hooters Air, that’s about two weeks worth of fuel.

Horry County said Hooters owes $79,700 in past-due costs to Myrtle Beach International. In all, the airline owes $91,328 for rent and fees, the county reported in an e-mail to The Sun News on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Hooters canceled flight service to Northwest Chicagoland Regional Airport at Rockford, Ill., in January, but still owes the airport about $20,000 for refueling and ticket counter services, said John Emery, president of Emery Air, which provides fixed-base operations at the airport.

We have enjoyed covering Hooters Air and hope they can make it through this rough patch. They do have the best wings in the sky.

It looks like Rockford International Airport has found the airline to replace Hooters Air. Festival Airlines is planning on creating a focal point at the Rockford Airport for its start up plans and use its proximity to Chicago to attract the leisure travel.

Festival Airlines announced today that it has scheduled an event on Thursday at Chicago/Rockford International Airport to announce a “relationship” with the airport, which officials have said will include new air service to several destinations from the Forest City.
The Chicago-based company is a leisure airline that provides nonstop jet service to vacation destinations and vacation packages. The airline will focus on primary and secondary metropolitan airports, according to a company statement released today.
Expected to attend the news conference to announce the service are executives from the company and airport officials. The event will be held at 10 a.m. on the first floor of the airport’s main terminal.
The airline is a startup carrier with plans to begin operations nationally. The company’s board of directors is expected to include several people with expertise and experience in the aviation industry.  via the Rockford Register Star

It looks like the fate of Hooters Air for Gary, Indiana is still up in the air. When Hooters Air cancelled all of flights in December, they were promised Hooters would be back flying in March. Now heading into the last week of February, there is no word when service will return to Gary. They are also still not taking reservations for Columbus, Ohio, Nassau, Bahamas, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

And while this is going on, the city of Worcester, Massachusetts is working with Hooters Air to come to their underused airport. Company officials say they are unable to discuss the negotiations at this time.

Hooters Hotel Casino is now  open in Las Vegas. With bright orange everywhere, and young ladies throughout the property wearing the traditional hooters outfits, the Hotel and Casino is now open to the general public after 10 months of renovating the old San Remo Casino just off the strip.

I am wondering if this is another ploy to increase the odds in the houses favor. Trying to keep track of ones cards amongst the curvaceous dealers will be a test for even the most stoic gambler.

The former San Remo property has been “hooterized.” Final touches are being put on the rooms, including bar tables and stools complete with bright orange lighting. From the casino floors to the rooms, this place is bound to be a hoot.
One of the unique things about this new resort is the fact that you can make reservations for the Hooters Hotel Casino in Las Vegas from any Hooters Restaurant. They have the Hooters Hotline; all you have to do is pick up the orange phone which will connect you directly to the Vegas resort.
“We’re putting in a reservation terminal in each of the 400 restaurants domestically. You’ll be able to pick up the orange hotline with a direct call right to Las Vegas and let us know you’re coming and we’ll book you a room,” said Richard Langloix, Senior VP of Marketing. via KVBC

The Hooters Hotel Casino Web Page

It looks like January 9th, 2006 is the last day of service for Gary, Indiana for Hooters Air till March.

Hooters Air’s announcement that it will suspend flights to and from the city means the airport will be without regularly scheduled passenger service just weeks after state officials said they had faith in the airfield’s potential. 

 Hooters Air said last week that high fuel prices are to blame for canceling flights to several destinations until March 6. It leaves Gary/Chicago International Airport without regularly scheduled passenger service for the first time in almost two years.

The last Hooters Air flight to St. Petersburg/Clearwater will take fly from Gary on Jan. 9. It follows the earlier suspension of flights to Las Vegas and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Airport officials have been told the flights will resume in March. via USA Today

Hooters Air is not winning any beauty contests with their cancellation of flight service between Gary/Chicago Airport and Las Vegas. The company did not make any mention of the cancellations in their press releases last week, and now many people with travel plans are only getting the refund on a discounted ticket, and are having to pay high last minute airfares to visit loved ones.

Hooters Air has suspended service from the Gary/Chicago International Airport to Las Vegas until March, airport officials said.

Airport administrator Paul Karas said Hooters President Mark Peterson told him that the airline planned to end the Las Vegas service temporarily because of seasonal issues, but that the airline intends to restart the service in March.

On the airline’s Web site, the first flight in March is scheduled for March 10.

Meanwhile, Hooters Air officials would not comment on this issue. Several phone messages during the past two weeks were not been returned.

A person from Hooters said the company’s only comment on the issue is a news release on its Web site. In that statement, the company announced it is eliminating service from the Greater Rockford Airport, but the statement does not mention service at Gary. The Daily Southtown.

Hooters Air is supposed to work the goodwill of the restaurant chain with the airline, but cancelling flights and e-mailing the customers at the last minute. There is no recourse for the customers but to miss the trip or pay higher fares elsewhere.

This episode should be called “The Hooters that stole Christmas.”

The high cost of fuel is putting a hurt on Hooters Air, and in response to this, Hooters will be cancelling flights from Myrtle Beach to 6 cities.

These cities include Columbus, Ohio; Gary, Ind.; Pittsburgh; Nassau; and Las Vegas to Myrtle Beach until March. This is in addition to end flights to Rockford, Illinios.

This slowdown and stoppage is not unprecedented. Myrtle Beach’s tourism slows down sharply this time of year, and Hooters has modified its schedule the last three years. This year with the higher fuel prices, they have been more ruthless cutting its schedule.

Sources:

• IndyStar
• WBT.com

The  cold had of fate has dealt a very cold hand to Rockford, Il, as Hooters Air has announced they were pulling out of the city. It would be sad enough for the male travelers in Rockford if Hooters left in July, but to leave this cold city in January is downright cruel.

ROCKFORD, Ill. Rockford airport officials say they’re disappointed that Hooters Air will stop offering flights in January, but they don’t think it’ll have a major impact on air travelers.

Hooters Air officials made their decision last month, less than a year after the airline first began flying out of Northwest Chicagoland International Airport at Rockford.

But officials with the Greater Rockford Airport Authority say the arrival of United Airlines flights in March should help compensate for the loss of Hooters Air.

The president of Hooters air released a statement Thursday saying the decision was based on increased expenses and financial guarantees the Greater Rockford Airport Authority gave United Airlines.

Hooters Air offered flights to Atlanta, Denver, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and St. Petersburg, Florida. viaWQAD

Rockford will be missing these Hooter Girls!

Newark Liberty International Airport EWR, located in Newark, New Jersey serves the New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.

Newark Airport is one of the larger international airports with regular flights to Europe and through out the United States and Canada.

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