In the late 1970s, airline regulations changed in the United States, and countless passenger companies were created in the following decades – Revealed from CNN’s compilationwhere the five companies with the strangest profiles were presented.
One of the most recognizable was Pet Airways, founded in 2009, which dealt exclusively with pets. The favorite flew without the owners into the main cabin of a specially designed aircraft, where the seats were replaced with animal carriers.
Each plane can carry about 50 pets, and Pet Escorts check passengers every 15 minutes.
Dogs and cats were roamed before takeoff, and animals were allowed to rest in the airport’s fenced lounges.
The idea was based on anxious pet owners who would rather take their pets with a dedicated airline than take them on their own flight in custody. The Pet Airways website has described this latest practice as quite dangerous due to the extreme temperatures and the fact that the animals have to travel almost in the dark.
The airline has been in operation for about two years and has served dozens of American cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago and Atlanta.
Prices start at $150 and can go up to $1,200 depending on the size of the animal.
In 2012, the airline ran into financial difficulties, canceled several flights and then ceased operations the following year. By that time, he had carried around 9,000 pets. However, its website is still active and the message on it indicates that the company may be active again after the Covid epidemic.
Air horns
Twenty years ago, Robert Brooks, president of the Hooters restaurant chain, bought Pace Airlines, a charter airline with a fleet of eight planes, mostly Boeing 737s. The following year, it transformed the company into an airline called Hooters Air, whose main features were Similar to those in chain restaurants.
Two ‘Hooters Girls’ working on the ship (in clothes recognizable from restaurants) mingled with passengers and also held small raffles for prizes. However, food service and other traditional tasks were not performed by them, but by professional flight attendants.
The idea wasn’t successful enough to make the business profitable, so the company went out of business in early 2006.
Lord’s Flight
It had only one plane from the airline, which was founded in 1985 and was aimed at religious passengers. Alcohol was strictly forbidden on board, the Bible and Torah could be read instead of magazines, and only religious films were shown. A quarter of the wage was used to finance the missionary work.
Lords Air’s business plan was to leave three flights a week from Miami to Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, providing a direct route to Jerusalem, about 30 miles away. At the time, the only way to get to the Holy Land was to take passengers to New York.
The Russians have an airline. The British have. To Playboy too. So why doesn’t God have an entire airline of his own?
The head of the company said.
However, there were problems with aircraft licenses, and the company’s management was also in conflict, so after a few years of operation, the airline went bankrupt.
Airline for smokers
US authorities banned smoking on all domestic flights in the US in 1990, but two entrepreneurs tried to circumvent the regulations. In 1993, it was decided to create their own airline, whose passengers could belong to a club for $25, and therefore they were allowed to light it on board.
At least that was the plan, but in practice they didn’t get permission from the authorities, so the airline eventually went bankrupt so no planes could take off. Although there was a lot of interest, almost five thousand were registered in the smoking club.
MGM Grand Air
Founded in 1987, MGM Grand Air was a super-luxury airline that initially flew one route from Los Angeles to New York. There were up to 33 people on board, no need to queue to check-in, no need to wait for baggage: passengers were served by separate porters who could even order door-to-door limousine service.
There was also a bar on board and meeting rooms were set up for meetings. It was possible to eat and drink constantly, and there were gold taps and monogrammed soap in the bathroom.
Initially, MGM Grand Air was popular with celebrities and the wealthy, but the company had a hard time filling its planes.
In the 1990s, operations became increasingly difficult with the proliferation of private jets, and in 1995 the airline was sold and renamed Champion Air, offering charter flights to sports teams and government agencies. Finally, in 2008, it was completely closed.
OPENING PHOTO: Matthew Peyton/Getty Images
