Hooters Air “put to bed,” except for charter flights
Myrtle Beach, S.C. – Hooters Air, which featured scantily clad 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, the airline’s founder, and president Mark Peterson told The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News that Hooters Air 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.”
Hooters Air, which last summer served 15 destinations including nonstop flights to Nassau, Bahamas, has been suspending and canceling flights since the Christmas holidays. Hooters Air ended its service to Denver from Rockford, Ill., in January.
Airline industry analysts have said problems for the Myrtle Beach-based airline range from a highly competitive low-fare airline industry to rising fuel prices.
DENVER
Frontier to allow oxygen equipment
Frontier Airlines said it will allow passengers to use portable oxygen concentrators on its flights effective April 1, with certain restrictions.
A new federal aviation regulation allows the use of approved portable oxygen concentrators throughout flights. Other airlines also allow passengers to bring oxygen equipment onboard.
TRUCKEE, Calif.
Ritz-Carlton to run hotel at Tahoe resort
Avon-based East West Partners announced Wednesday it has selected The Ritz-Carlton Co. to operate a five-star luxury hotel at the Northstar-at-Tahoe ski resort in North Lake Tahoe.
The 172-room ski-in/ski-out Ritz-Carlton will include 75 whole-ownership residences and 77 fractional units. Construction on the $300 million project is slated to be done in late 2009. It will be developed by East West and Fort Worth, Texas- based Crescent Real Estate Equities Co. Northstar is owned by Vail-based Booth Creek Ski Holdings.
ST. GEORGE, Utah
SkyWest readying to train for Aspen flights
After discussions with the Federal Aviation Administration, SkyWest has received approval for a program covering training requirements, aircraft requirements and instructions for flights into Aspen with Canadair RJ-700 regional jets, according to director of flight training David Faddis.
Aspen has a difficult airport to fly into and requires a special approach. SkyWest will operate Aspen flights for United and Delta with the CRJ-700 planes starting in April and June, respectively.
DENVER
Bill to raise tourism budget bounces along
The State Senate Committee on State, Veterans & Military Affairs referred House Bill 1201 to the Finance Committee unamended Wednesday.
The bill would increase the state’s tourism budget by an estimated $20 million by taking a portion of the state’s gaming taxes.
VAIL
Vail Daily getting new publisher next month
Steve Gall, the advertising director for the Duluth News Tribune in Minnesota, will take over as publisher of the Vail Daily next month.
Gall will replace Steve Pope, who is now the general manager of Colorado Mountain News Media, Vail Daily’s parent, which is based in Gypsum.
GREENWOOD VILLAGE
Adelphia denies breaching agreements
Adelphia Communications Corp., the cable-television provider being bought by Time Warner Inc. and Comcast Corp., said the companies accused it of breaching purchase agreements.
Time Warner and Comcast said in a letter on Friday that Adelphia hadn’t tracked marketing promotions for eligible basic cable subscribers, Greenwood Village-based Adelphia said in a regulatory filing Wednesday. In a reply to the companies on Monday, Adelphia denied that it breached agreements.
DENVER
Metretek agrees to private stock sale
Metretek Technologies Inc. announced Wednesday that it has entered into definitive agreements to raise nearly $28.2 million in a private offering of 2 million shares of its common stock to institutional and accredited investors at a price of $14 per share.
In addition, the company agreed to issue a total of 390,452 shares of common stock to the investors in the private placement at the same price.
SAN FRANCISCO
Google hopes to raise $2 billion from shares
Google Inc. plans to sell another 5.3 million shares of its prized stock, hoping to raise more than $2 billion to finance its ambitious plan to expand beyond its Internet-leading search engine.
The move comes just two days before Google’s closely watched stock will be added to the Standard & Poor’s 500 index – a breakthrough that snapped the company’s shares out of a recent funk.
DETROIT
Auto workers union rejects Delphi offer
Delphi Corp.’s latest offer on wages and benefits was rejected by the United Auto Workers union, which said the bankrupt auto-parts maker will seek court permission to scrap its existing contract.
Delphi’s March 24 proposal “wasn’t even close” to something union leaders could submit to rank-and-file workers for a ratification vote, said Paul Krell, a UAW spokesman.
WASHINGTON
Whirlpool takeover of Maytag on final cycle
Whirlpool Corp. can complete its $1.68 billion takeover of Maytag Corp., the Justice Department decided, as it rejected concerns from its own lawyers that the combination might hurt competition.
The acquisition, approved without any required divestitures, will create the world’s largest appliance maker, accounting for 70 percent of U.S. sales.
LOS ANGELES
SEC seeks $60 million in fines in fraud case
Federal regulators want Henry Yuen, the former head of Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc., to pay more than $60 million in penalties for his alleged role in a securities fraud case, according to a court filing.
The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed that Yuen pay a $15.7 million civil penalty in addition $15.7 million from bonuses and a $29.5 million severance package.
