Goodbye, ATA

By Margaret Lyons in News on Apr 3, 2008 4:49PM

ATA filed for bankruptcy yesterday and completely shut down all operations at 4am today, leaving around 10,000 passengers SOL and laying off more than 2,000 employees.

People are showing up at airports to check in for ATA flights only to find the company doesn't really exist any more, and all their money's gone. From ATA's press release:

ATA customers who purchased tickets using a credit card should contact their credit card company or travel agency directly for information about how to obtain a refund for unused tickets.

ATA currently is unable to provide refunds to customers who purchased tickets directly from ATA with cash or a check. These customers may be able to obtain a full or partial refund for their unused tickets by submitting a claim in ATA’s Chapter 11 proceedings.

Eeek.

The low-cost carrier said in a press release that the "primary factor" in the bankruptcy is the "unexpected cancellation" of a contract with Fed Ex, which accounted for most of the company's charter business. [Bloomberg, ATA, AP]