If you've booked American Trans Air (ATA), Please Read

[CurtS]

I don't know how many of you fly with ATA. Since we are out of Indianapolis and it is our "hometown airline" (their HQ is here), most TAs here book with them. Yesterday they announced that they were in serious financial trouble and cannot meet loan obligations. Travellers are becoming concerned about possible cancellations, as are we. If you've booked ATA, you may want to leave a little "buffer room" and not book your flight the day of the cruise.

 

[dtuleya]

Good luck. Keeping my fingers crossed for you that there won't be any problems.

I have to check, my friend who is cruising with us might be flying them.

We're about in the same boat (no pun intended). We're flying USAir (on Thanksgiving day no less) and they might be filing bankruptcy again. I read an article at CNN that said most airlines don't survive two bankruptcies.

 

[CurtS]

We're on the same cruise as you. Let's hope that both of us manage to get there and we'll swap stories of airline woes!

 

[mhb]

I'm on USAir also for our Oct cruise. I can't even read the papers. Don't know what to do. I really don't want to drive from NJ to FL, but guess we may be doing just that if they go under.

 

[westjones]

We are flying ATA next month for our 7 night cruise. Hopefully all will go well. DH heard this announcement too; we have our fingers crossed.

DJ

Edit: Here is a story from the Indianapolis Channel 6 News about the ATA situation:

http://www.theindychannel.com/money/3658655/detail.html

It sounds like we are probably safe this year if we are booked, but next year there could be some concerns.

 

[amgpmg]

Oh no! We booked ATA too and leave in three weeks. I hope this does not affect us or anyone else booked through them!

Kathy

 

[CurtS]

My TA advised me to make sure and call ATA prior to leaving for the airport to assure that the flight was not cancelled and is running on time. She said that calling the day before will probably not yield much result since they will probably cancel the day of the flight. On the positive side--all of ATA's "tropical routes" (as they call them), which includes the Carribean and Florida are their most lucrative. Before this, they had even indicated that they planned to increase the number of flights on these routes and pare back others, so its a possibility that these would be the last routes cancelled.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

I am new to booking my own airfare. I have two trips booked with ATA. Would I get a refund on the airfare if ATA is not able to fly me out there? I paid an awful lot for the fare for 2005. Should I be worried I have kissed that money goodbye?

Thanks,
Tink

 

[inkkognito]

Yikes!!
We fly them to FL an average of twice a month and are charter members of their Elite program! They are one of the big reasons that fares to Orlando are reasonable out of Chicago.
Barb

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

See "ATA Holdings could be headed for bankruptcy-analyst" (Wed Aug 18, 2004 03:40 PM ET, By Jui Chakravorty) at http://www.reuters.com/financeNewsArticle.jhtml?type=bondsNews&storyID=6010644

The article doesn't say whether they're predicting Chapter 11 (reorganization and protection from creditors) or Chapter 7 (liquidation). I assume it would be the former.

For the remainder of this year, I'd only worry about schedule adjustments, not anything serious. Keep in mind that United Airlines has been in Chapter 11 since December 2002.

 

[CurtS]

The Indianapolis Star has indicated that it will likely be a reorganization along with concessions by employees (which has been ongoing anyway). They also indicated that there will be schedule adjustments, ala United Airlines as Horace Horsecollar indicated. Make sure you call before you leave home--there's probably nothing worse than sitting in an airport for 5 or 6 hours with children (been there, done that, hated it)!