American Trans Air

[aide4]

Anyone have any experience on this airline?? I may be flying them this week, and would appreciate any insight.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

American Trans Air is more commonly referred to as ATA. They are the 10th largest US carrier based on passenger miles. Significant operations at Chicago-Midway and Indianapolis (home base) plus a number of other cities. We fly Chicago-MDW to Orlando-MCO at least three times a year on ATA. We have found them to be quite good with competitive fares, usually similar in cost to Southwest out of Midway to Orlando.

Ralph

 

[inkkognito]

We fly the Midway to Orlando roundtrip once or twice a month, almost always on ATA. We used to use American and United too, but their fares have been way out of line lately.
I really like ATA's aircraft. It's almost always a 757-300, although they throw in a 737 every now and then. They are supposed to be removing some seats from their 737s for added legroom. The 757's have leather seats with adjustable headrests and video & audio entertainment ($2 for a headset you can keep). Their on time record has been pretty decent for us.
On the downside, three times now we have done web checkin, only to discover they gave away our seats at the airport. This has happened even after I've called to confirm that our online checkin worked. But overall they're a decent airline.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[aide4]

Thanks for the info....I did purchase a ticket last night, I will be flying from Madison, Wi to MDW then on to Newark on Wednesday. I was able to get a fare of $208.50 where everyone else was at least $200 more, so I am looking forward to trying out a different airline.

Thanks Again!!

Chris

 

[funhouse8]

My husband and son flew them last weekend. The only thing I would suggest is to get to the airport early as my husband said they were offering people tickets if they changed their flight. I guess they over book their seats, When I made the ressie I noticed they don't charge to change flights to another time so maybe this is why they overbook but if everyone shows up- There just aren't enough seats. Have fun,Enjoy

 

[kokomom]

We just returned from flying on ATA for the first time. We were pleased with the service. Both our flights were on-time. The flights were full...a couple of empty seats. They don't give you the whole can of pop...but oh well the price difference is worth it. Everyone was very nice!

 

[Jynohn]

I was a flight attendant for ATA a couple of years ago. It's a great airline, and has a very good safety record. When I worked for them, they had just ordered a new fleet, so their planes should be among the newest in the industry. Their hubs are in the mid-west, Midway and Indy so most of their flights connect from there otherwise I would use them more often out of Boston.

They have very competitive prices, but the one downfall is that they do tend to overbook often. At least that was the case when I was flying with them....

 

[pumpkinboy]

Note that page A6 of yesterday's Wall Street Journal reports that ATA is negotiating with creditors and leaseholders, and could go into chapter 11 in coming weeks. Of course the good news is that during Ch 11 bankruptcy proceedings, they continue to operate, so your upcoming flight is probably not in any danger. If your flight were in 6 months, you might think again. Usually in these cases, once they go into Ch 11, the airline cuts prices to hold onto passengers, so near-term it is nice for consumers.

 

[inkkognito]

We haven't run into overbooking with ATA for many months now. Some of the flights are very full (particularly coming home on Sunday evenings), but there haven't been offers of tickets in exchange for a seat give-up for quite a while on any of our trips. I do love their frequent flyer program because you earn a free companion ticket after only three flights, and there are no blackout dates. Of course, it's subject to availability, but we were able to use one of our companion tickets for Thanksgiving weekend with no problem. We just make sure to book far enough in advance.
Their planes are very new and nice. That's another thing I like about them. 747-300s are definitely my favorite planes, although a bit large for those tiny Midway runways! Just flap your arms during takeoff and do a Flintstones heel-dig on landing and you'll be fine there.
Right now, we're holding tickets monthly through January, so it will be interesting to see how the chapter 11 will pan out.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Actually inkkognito means 757-300, not 747. The 757s are big enough for those MDW runways. I can't imagine a 747 . In any case, they are really nice, new planes with comfortable leather seats.

Ralph

 

[inkkognito]

Thanks, Ralph! My fingers were moving faster than my brain.
I think the 757-300s are the biggest planes that can land on Midway. A couple of months ago, I was on one on a flight that had to be diverted to Rockford for refueling (we couldn't land at Midway due to weather, and we were getting low on fuel). There is a UPS airport there, and I swear those runways were longer than Midways...amazing!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com