But Hooters is a restaurant. Why would a restaurant company start an airline? Airlines seem to be a pretty tough business to make money in right now.

The interesting thing about Hooters Air is that they might not have to make that much money. Hooters Air charter flights are operated by Pace Airlines d/b/a Hooters Air, so it's not like the airline is completely going it alone. The 400 or so franchisees might look at their six jet airliners as big flying billboards. After all, all the 737 and 757 Hooters Air planes have Hootie, the company mascot. So if you look at the airline as a marketing cost rather than a trying to run it profitably, perhaps it starts to make more sense. And when you think about it, Hooters only flies to Hooter-esque destinations. Hooters Air is aimed primarily at leisure travelers. It began by flying folks from Newark, N.J., and Atlanta into its hub in Myrtle Beach, S.C. It now aims to serve Baltimore; Columbus, Ohio; Denver; Gary, Ind.; Las Vegas; Rockford; and Nassau, Bahamas. You'll note that all of the destinations I just listed have Hooters restaurants. Hooters is planning to open a new hotel casino in Las Vegas in December or January. So not only will Hooters be able to promote its hotel and casino at its ubiquitous restaurants, but it will be able to fly customers there on its own jets.

The Hootersair.com website lists a few reasons why you should choose the airline. First, there's the Hooter's girls angle - great flight crews plus two Hooters Girls on every flight! But the Travelsites team thinks the real reason to fly Hooters Air is the cheap fares. There are no Saturday night stay requirements, so you can travel when you want. One way fares are available all the time, and all the flights are non stop. Hooters Air Flights will be offered most days between the cities listed above with fares from $99. They are operating as a low price carrier in markets where larger carriers have been able to maintain a higher rate structure.

So will it work? It just might. In one of their launch markets, Hooters Air flew from Newark to Myrtle Beach. Formerly, this was a US Airways or Continental route, with average fares of about $350 for 21 day advance purchase fares. However, the Hooters walk up fare is $200 round trip, so the major carriers have lowered their prices an average of $50 dollars to compete.

If you're flying to Myrtle Beach from Newark, Baltimore, Columbus, Denver, Gary Indiana or Pittsburg, give Hooters Air a look. Reservations can be made at www.hootersair.com or by calling 1-888-FLY-HOOT (1-888-359-4668).

The website is branded well, as you'd expect from a marketing machine like Hooters. It is a serviceable entry in the web booking field, so the Travelsites team recommends trying the website to buy your tickets from Hooters Air.

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