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 LakeMichigan. 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.
I'm glad I've never flown with them now...I prefer Quantas or British Airways as the best I've ever flown on...Thanks so much for the warning!!! Chris xxx
ampuk2000 24.11.2003 11:42
i think i'll avoid this company at all costs.
AliJayne 06.06.2003 20:59
Goo dop.The planes sound horrible and my brother can confirm this.he has just been backpacking around the world and said these were the worst!
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Jan 30th, 2003
very helpful by (100%):
