American Trans Airlines (ATA) is one of the most budget of all the budget airlines in the USA. When my aunt went to Boston's Logan Airport to pick me up, she couldn't find ATA's monitors listing flight information... because they DON’T HAVE ANY in Logan! ATA also claims that their website ... Read review
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Advantages: kind of cheap, on time, cool head rests on some planes Disadvantages: no space, loud, turbulent, hot, not THAT cheap
...DON’T HAVE ANY in Logan! ATA also claims that their website has up-to-date flight info, but it doesn't. The baggage carousel was not labelled either, so we had to wander around a bit to figure out where my bag was going to be spit out. However, I shouldn't really complain too much since I arrived safely on four ATA flights, without having to shell out too much dough and with my luggage intact. However, the flights were pretty unpleasant, so ... ...
I flew on ATA from Boston to Los Angeles and back, with a stop-over in Chicago both times. ATA has a hub in Chicago's Midway Airport, so no matter where you are headed, you will most likely stop over in the Windy City. Unless, of course, you are flying from LA to Hawaii, which you probably wouldn't want to do after reading this review. You see, ATA is fine for short flights like Chicago to Boston, but anything longer, and you'll be wishing ... more
American Trans Airlines (ATA) is one of the most budget of all the budget airlines in the USA. When my aunt went to Boston's Logan Airport to pick me up, she couldn't find ATA's monitors listing flight information... because they DON’T HAVE ANY in Logan! ATA also claims that their website has up-to-date flight info, but it doesn't. The baggage carousel was not labelled either, so we had to wander around a bit to figure out where my bag was going to be spit out. However, I shouldn't really complain too much since I arrived safely on four ATA flights, without having to shell out too much dough and with my luggage intact. However, the flights were pretty unpleasant, so I do have a lot of criticisms about this airline.
I flew on ATA from Boston to Los Angeles and back, with a stop-over in Chicago both times. ATA has a hub in Chicago's Midway Airport, so no matter where you are headed, you will most likely stop over in the Windy City. Unless, of course, you are flying from LA to Hawaii, which you probably wouldn't want to do after reading this review. You see, ATA is fine for short flights like Chicago to Boston, but anything longer, and you'll be wishing you had a parachute.
For one thing, the flights were a lot more turbulent than other recent flights I've been on. On my flight from LA to Chicago, for instance, when we were descending, the plane started rocking from side to side and there was a loud rumbling noise underneath. I suspect that the pilot was having trouble making the wheels come down, but no one bothered to tell us what the turbulence was all about, so it was pretty scary. Also, I found that sitting above the wing (and engine!) made the flight very loud! The planes are 3 seats on each side of the aisle (737s and 757s).
COMFORT: I am only 5'2" and I still found the seating very claustrophobic. During the flight from Chicago to LA, it wasn't so bad because it was during the afternoon and people were up and about, so I didn't have to sit in the same spot the whole time (I was seated in the middle seat). However, on my flight from LA to Chicago, it was the middle of the night and most people around me were sleeping. I was in the middle seat again, and my row didn't even have a window, so I felt even more confined. Also, the tall man sitting next to me fell asleep almost immediately with his knees invading my legroom area. The seats are also extremely narrow, so my elbows were sore from keeping them tucked at my sides for the entire flight.
ATA made a big deal out of the fact that some of its planes are new and have leather seats, but I preferred the older planes in terms of comfort. Even without the leather seats, the planes were really hot and uncomfortable, and the non-breathable upholstery (I was on a leather-seater from LA to Chicago) made it even worse. I would advise you to dress in layers because I wouldn't be surprised if the cabin is sometimes cold, as well! The only good thing about the new planes was that they had neat head-rests with sides on them so that you wouldn't slump over onto your neighbour's shoulder. Also, the new planes have more TV screens.
ATA saves money by not serving meals on any of its flights and skimping on entertainment. They do, however, serve free soft drinks, coffee, or tea and a little bag of some type of trail mix containing unpronounceable ingredients. On the longer flights, they serve a packet of little biscuits, as well. So, if you'll be flying a long distance, be sure to bring some snacks of your own. They also sell beer, wine, and mixed drinks for $4 (USD).
The in-flight entertainment consists of short TV shows including ‘The West Wing’ and ‘Friends,’ plus some sports highlights and news stories. It also plays adult contemporary music videos such as Elton John, Vanessa Williams, and (shudder)Celine Dion. You can buy headphones for $2 that you can keep to use on future ATA flights. There are two jacks for the earphones, so if you plug in your own one-pronged head phones, you'll only hear the music or television programme in one ear.
According to the in-flight magazine, which is basically an advertisement for ATA's holiday packages, full-length films are shown on flights longer than five hours.
Some of the cities ATA services include: Boston New York Philadelphia Washington, DC Charlotte, North Carolina Orlando, Florida Miami, Florida San Juan, Puerto Rico Aruba Indianapolis, Indiana (another hub along with Chicago) Chicago, Illinois (hub) Minneapolis, Minnesota Denver, Colorado Seattle, Washington San Francisco, CA San Jose, CA Los Angeles, CA Maui, Hawaii Honolulu Cancun, Mexico
Check the website at www.ata.com for a more complete list of destinations and schedules.
The best part of my flying experience was seeing the sunrise over Lake Michigan. Also, landing in Boston, the pilot swung out over Boston Harbour, giving us a beautiful view of that, as well. My flight from Chicago to Boston was definitely the best of the four due to the sunrise, the view of Boston from the harbour, and the fact that I had an entire row to myself! The other three flights were all packed.
If you are flying soon, keep in mind that many airports have upgraded their security systems, and they now x-ray all baggage. This translated into chaos at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) because the ATA people didn't bother to put up any signs explaining that you have to check in at the counter to get your bags stickered and then get in another queue to get the bags x-rayed. There were just random queues of people everywhere and not nearly enough staff.
I flew ATA because it was the cheapest flight I could find from Boston to LA. I booked the tickets through cheaptickets.com. Southwest Airlines would have been cheaper, but it doesn't fly to Boston. However, ATA is NOT THAT cheap. For instance, I just searched on the website for flights from Boston to LA for May, 2003 and the cheapest I could find came out to a grand total of $346. Roundtrip Chicago-New York (La Guardia) is around $200.
For a short trip, ATA may be worth looking into, but for a longer journey, do yourself a favour and pay a bit more for the extra amenities and comfort.
Advantages: None Disadvantages: Customer Service, Safety, To much stress!
...found no clerks at the ATA counter and a sign that said they would arrive in 2 1/2 hours. All the other counters were busy with passengers getting their tickets. This was after a high alert was given on the news to arrive early. When they did arrive, I was first in line. A flight from Honolulu had arrived and it had been delayed 5 hours and they were all taken before me by 3 clerks. Not one clerk to help the others who were trying to leave for Hawaii. ... ...is no ATA information on the monitors. Some people at the airport had never heard of them.
On our trip back we arrived early at the Maui Airport to find again, 2 clerks waiting on customers and it was announced that the flight had been overbooked. They were so slow we barely made the flight and we were early to arrive. We had to run to our flight once we got our tickets, where we ran to the gate only to be rudely greeted by staff who said we have ...
djbids 10.07.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ATA Aerocondor
Advantages: none Disadvantages: poor service all round
...from Gatwick to Orlando on ATA in October 2000. Although the flights were ok the planes that we flew on where outdates and uncomfortable. To start with the planes were so old that they needed to refuel in Canada. The refuelling process requires all passengers to disembark (down steps into the cold Canadian weather) for safety purposes and then wait in a horrible terminal building for 45 minutes before getting back onto the same plane to carry on ... ...the plane! The ATA flight lasted 10 hours, including stoppage. The aeroplane that we flew on was a Lockheed Tri-Star – Very old!!!! The screens were too small to see and the legroom was enough only for the smallest of people. On top of this we were offered no “usual” flight freebies like eye masks or earplugs. Not even on the night flight which made me mad because a guy sitting next to me chose to read all night with his light switched on that covered ...
lawrensons 25.10.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ATA Aerocondor
Advantages: no Disadvantages: everything, time, service
I flew wit ATA from Aldergrove (NI) to Florida (USA) via Gander (Newfoundland)several years ago. I can now tell you what colour the ceiling is at Gander. The flight was a charter like most ATA flights. Also, like most ATA flights, it was late. Very Late! On the outward journey, it left several hours late. It was at Gander for an extra hour. Coming,. back it was one hour late leaving Florida. Nine hours late leaving Gander. Fortunately, we all got ... ...old yet still managed to go the whole summer without being more than one and a half days late. The next week it was 36 hours late leaving Belfast. Now Belfast is not a very busy airport and "missing a slot" doesn't cause a delay. The only reason for the delay was the palne breaking down and bery poor punctuality.
The customer service was non-existent and tea was not served to some people. Also, no duty free was available. Other faults were the cabin ...
christopherj84 26.01.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ATA Aerocondor
Advantages: flight attendants / good service Disadvantages: Unprofessional Customer Service in Baggage claim at Midway airport
...rude she said it is ATA policy to deny all claims. I was in chicago for 5 days she never contacted me eventhough I called daily, plus put in at claim ata.com and with the DFW airport. I finally caught her by arriving early for my departure flight. She said there was nothing she could do about the items that where stolen. would I like a $200.00 voucher to fly with them again. Do they have security in baggage? Dosen't any one question an employee leaving ... ...to basically strip, empty my purse, turn on my computer and more to board my flight. If there is no security around the baggage handlers, not only can they robb passengers they can place things into a passengers bag. please give me some suggestions with my ATA complaint. ...
Sapphirewrk 27.09.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ATA Aerocondor
Food Quality
Customer Service
Punctuality
Space
Value for Money
Quick review of ATA Aerocondor
All airlines are similar. ATA is just fine. I travel with them every 9 days from Oakland to Maui. The FA's provide the best service they can with the constraints of a 737 single aisle. On every flight there are the passengers who do not listen to the announcements and crowd the aisle when the carts are out or try to gather in the galley to wait for the bathroom. I think anyone who complains need to see how their own actions may have contributed to the issue ...
mskihei 18.07.2007
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ATA Aerocondor
