Calco Travel has taken delivery of two MCI E4500 coaches.
Callen Hotard, president of Calco Travel and the New Orleans fixture, Hotard Coaches, purchased the new 50-seat MCI E4500s for long-range tour work and service to the universities served by these two Gulf Coast coach lines. In 2010, Calco celebrates its 75th anniversary; Hotard its 50th.
Hotard’s newest MCI coaches were outfitted to impart an elite look and feel to customers, with 50 leather upholstered seats that allow for extra legroom for longer trips. Other features include a clean-diesel engine technology of a Cummins ISM 10.8-liter, 410 hp engine teamed with an Allison B500 6-speed automatic transmission, and Wi-Fi, three-point seat belts, tray tables and a seatback entertainment center with individual 110-volt outlets, iPod dock, color monitor and satellite access to Direct TV and XM radio by headset.
Calco and Hotard will celebrate their respective company anniversaries with the opening of a brand new headquarters in New Orleans in the fall. Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Hotard family’s old company headquarters in 2005 – ever since, the combined carriers have been operating in a mix of buildings and temporary trailers. “We’ll have a grand opening and an open house in the fall,” said Hotard. “It’ll be nice to have a fresh new building for our entire staff.”