ATLANTA (AP) -- Hooters Air, an airline started by the restaurant chain famous for chicken wings and scantily clad waitresses, has begun service from Atlanta to Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Hooters Air will fly four days a week to the beach and golf resort area of Myrtle Beach. Flights between Atlanta and Newark, N.J., are to start March 20.

Bob Brooks, owner of Atlanta-based Hooters of America, said he was not worried about starting an airline amid the current troubles in the industry.

"You think people won't travel anymore? They'll travel," Brooks said before the inaugural flight Thursday. "The tough times will pass."

Every flight will feature two "Hooters Girls" in snug T-shirts and orange short-shorts who are there to "just be friendly," Brooks said. Regular flight attendants will take care of safety and serve snacks -- but not the Hooter's chicken wings, which don't hold up well on an airplane, company officials said.

Brooks bought Pace Airlines, a North Carolina-based charter airline, late last year.

Hooters Air will compete with Delta and AirTran on its routes. Round-trip fares to Myrtle Beach start at $99, according to Hooters Air's Web site.

On the Net:

http://www.hootersair.com

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