Meet five unusual airlines that once existed on the market

In the late 1970s, the US government deregulated the airline industry, removing federal control over fares, routes, and the entry of new airlines into the market. As a result, a flurry of new airlines appeared from the 1980s onwards, and some of them were particularly unusual.

Meet some of them:

pet airways

Founded in 2009 in Delray Beach, Florida, Pet Airways was an airline exclusively dedicated to pets such as dogs and cats — or pawsengers (a combination of the words paw, which means paw in Portuguese, and passenger, for passenger) – as they called them.

They flew, without their owners, in the main cabin of specially adapted aircraft in which the seats were replaced by aircraft carriers.

Each aircraft could carry around 50 pets, with “pet attendants” checking on them every 15 minutes. Prior to takeoff, the animals were given a pre-flight walk and a bathroom break in specially designed airport lounges.

The idea was that concerned pet owners would prefer to take their pets via a dedicated airline rather than having them board their own flight in the cargo hold, a practice that the Pet Airways website described as “dangerous”, citing extreme temperatures, variations and lack of adequate lighting.

The airline operated for about two years, serving a dozen US cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago and Atlanta. Fees start at $150 and can go up to $1,200, depending on the size of the animal.

In 2012, the airline ran into financial problems and began canceling flights, before completely halting operations the following year after transporting around 9,000 pets.

However, its website is still active, and a message reads “Post-Covid flights hopefully mid-2022,” suggesting there may be a second life on the horizon for the pet airline.

Hooters Air

In 2002, Robert Brooks, president of the Hooters restaurant chain, acquired Pace Airlines, a carrier with a fleet of eight aircraft, mostly Boeing 737s. The following year, he transformed it into Hooters Air, an airline designed in honor of the chain. of restaurants.

Its distinction was, in addition to the bright orange design with a wide-eyed owl, that two so-called “Hooters girls” were on board, mingling with passengers and organizing trivia games with prizes – wearing the same orange tank top and shorts, “ uniform” popularized by restaurants.

However, they did not serve food or handle tasks on board, as these were performed by three flight attendants certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The airline was based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a vacation spot known for its golf courses and beachfront resorts, which had lost direct air traffic in the general restructuring of commercial aviation after 9/11.

Due to its affordable price and direct connections to cities like Atlanta, Newark and Baltimore, Hooters Air has attracted passengers of all types – mainly golfers and tourists, but also families.

However, it was never successful enough to make money and ceased operations in early 2006 due to rising fuel prices following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Lord’s airline

Strictly alcohol-free, with bibles and torahs instead of in-flight magazines, only religious films on display, and a quarter of the fares dedicated to funding missionary work: these were the unique characteristics of the Airline of the Lord, founded by New Jersey businessman Ari. Marshall in 1985, when he bought an old DC-8 that was supposed to be the airline’s only plane.

The plan was to have three weekly flights from Miami to Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, offering a direct route to Jerusalem, about 30 miles away.

At the time, religious pilgrims wishing to reach the Holy Land had to take a connecting flight to New York. “The Russians have their airline. The British have one. Playboy too. So why shouldn’t you have an airline of your own?” Marshall said in 1986, according to the Associated Press.

In 1987, however, the airline failed to qualify for an FAA license due to unfinished modifications and maintenance work on the aircraft. Investors were nervous and removed Marshall, installing a new board of directors to move things forward.

The new president, Theodore Lyszczasz, did not agree with Marshall and the two began to fight in the press.

Eventually, Lyszczasz and his brother showed up at Marshall’s house demanding corporate records, which resulted, according to newspaper reports, in a fight and Marshall suing them for trespassing. They were acquitted, but the Lord’s Airline eventually died and the aircraft was scrapped.

Smokers Express

The FAA banned smoking on all US domestic flights in 1990, but William Walts and George Richardson, two businessmen from Brevard County, Florida, weren’t happy about it. In early 1993, they decided to circumvent the rule by establishing an airline based on a private club. It required a $25 membership fee and was only open to people over 21.

The airline was to be based at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida, and the plan was to offer steaks and hamburgers on board with free cigarettes.

Nearly a year after the announcement, however, the airline still had no license and no plane, and although the founders claimed to have raised over 5,000 memberships, regulators denied Smokers Express a license to operate, causing it to disappear in a puff. without ever taking off.

In 2006, the idea was reformulated by German businessman Alexander Schoppmann, who declared his intention to start Smoker’s International Airways, or SmintAir.

Schoppmann, who smoked 30 cigarettes a day, wanted to launch a daily service between Tokyo and his hometown of Dusseldorf, which is home to a large number of Japanese expats and the European offices of hundreds of Japanese companies.

Both countries still had significant numbers of smokers at the time. However, SmintAir met the same fate as Smokers Express: it failed to raise the capital needed to start operations and it never went live.

MGM Grand Air

Opened in 1987, MGM Grand Air was a first-class-only super-luxury airline that initially covered a single route – Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) – using Boeing 727 and Douglas DC-8 aircraft in luxurious configurations: the rule was that no flight could have more than 33 passengers, although planes could carry 100 or more in standard configurations.

The airline promised no queues, check-ins and waiting for luggage – porters took bags to the plane and returned them at their destination – and even offered an optional door-to-door limousine service. Specialty lounges at both airports offered upscale amenities and concierge service.

On board, there were five flight attendants and a stand up bar, as well as private compartments for meetings. A full meal service with fine wine and champagne was always available, and the bathroom had gilded faucets and monogrammed soap. All this was offered at little more than the cost of a first class ticket on other airlines.

Initially popular with celebrities and the very wealthy, the MGM Grand Air eventually opened up more routes but was struggling to fill all 33 seats on its planes.

Operations slowed in the 1990s as private jets became more widespread, and in 1995 the airline was sold and changed its name to Champion Air, offering charter flights to sports teams and government agencies. It ended up closing completely in 2008.