HOOTERS Air Inc. What a wonderfully lucrative idea. Entrepreneurs are always looking for new money-making ideas and this time, Robert Brooks, Chairman of Hooters of America Inc., has livened up the game. If Brooks locks the bid for recently bankrupt Vanguard Airlines, it is not yet certain that the planes will be named after the Hooters chain, complete with the infamous orange color scheme. I am all for it.
Brooks should put a new spin on the old past time of flying. By livening up the service and appearance of aircraft, this new airline will provide a new incentive to people who have been putting off flying since Sept. 11. If executed correctly, with the utmost attention still paid to safety and regulation, Hooters Air Inc. could open up a new and improved market to flyers -- and nobody ever turned down a pleasant atmosphere when having to spend hours in crammed little seats.
Although no definitive action has been taken, Brooks is contemplating purchasing some of recently bankrupt Vanguard Airlines' assets in order to restart the airline. Brooks is evaluating the prospect of adding an airline to his already lucrative business empire, which consists mostly of restaurants staffed by scantily clad waitresses.
The idea of girls in tight shirts and short shorts helps conjure up images of airlines past. In the old days, airline travel was marketed as a glamorous and romantic affair, enjoyed primarily by the wealthy. Airlines tended toward hiring attractive young single women. Of course, this was sexist and didn't help with producing negative stereotypes of airhostesses, but it did sell.
Undoubtedly, sex sells. Hooters restaurants have certainly proved this with their chain of 300-plus restaurants which built up over the past two decades. But the witty slogan of "Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined," might not be enough to convince travelers that Hooters Air is the way to fly.
Flight attendants are highly trained professionals. If the airline takes on the same uniform and environment as the Hooters restaurants, then good luck convincing veterans of in-flight service to don those tiny, form fitting outfits. There is also a risk of loss of respect from passengers if their flight attendants are scantily clad, showcasing their assets and not their service.
Let's not forget the men stewards in the airline industry. With the reputation of Hooters resting on its female wait staff, if the same slant were taken with the airline, men would get a raw deal in the employment arena. There is much potential for sexual discrimination suits, jealousy among staff, etc. For example, in 1981, a man successfully sued Southwest Airlines for refusing his employment. Why? Because the airline required that not only did their stewardesses be female, but also that they wear hot pants. This should all be heavily weighed and alternatives should be prepared before any decisions are made about carrying on Hooters traditions into airlines.
Aesthetic matters aside, running an airline is no piece of cake. Successful airlines have taken time to achieve their status and have always had very well thought out and meticulously executed business plans. Routes must be carefully evaluated and well-executed, competitors must be scrutinized, and expenses must be well managed. On top of all this, there are the usual business hurdles of marketing and pricing techniques, neither of which are easy.But here is where Hooters Air Inc. has a leg up on the competition. Hooters is already a well-marketed chain name with popularity abounding in many areas of the United States.
Since Sept. 11, many airlines have been experiencing financial stress due to a decrease in passengers. A new and exciting twist to the mundane airline world may be just what the flight industry needs to entice travelers back into the air. Fun and games aside though, safety must still be maintained in order to assure the utmost comfort and security to potential passengers.
It is true that a politically correct and more conventional airline-marketing scheme may be a 'safer' strategy than scantily clad wait-staff parading up and down the aisles. But as long as the quality of air travel that they provide remainsup to par, Robert Brooks and his Hooters enterprise might have just the ticket to luring business travelers back into the air and fixing the problems of the airline industry.
(Alex Roosenburg's column appears Mondays in the Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at aroosenburg@
cavalierdaily.com)
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