Breaking NewsSecond airline this week to cease operations
Low-fare carrier ATA Airlines said it has filed for Bankruptcy Court protection and ordered the grounding all flights as it halted operations. The last scheduled flight landing early this morning. Nearly all of the airline's 2,230 employees were let go. Meanwhile, thousands of passengers were stranded at Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago-Midway, and other airports across the U.S.
Earlier this week, citing chronic financial problems, Aloha Airlines announced the immediate end to all passenger flights. This left passengers scrambling to find new flights.
ATA airlines, which operated several daily flights from the mainland U.S to Hawai'i, blames the loss of a key military charter contract. In addition to scheduled airline service, ATA also provided charter service for the Pentagon.
ATA said passengers should seek alternative travel arrangements on their own. This morning Northwest Airlines announced that for a $100 fee, passengers confirmed on an ATA flight can standby for a flight on their airline. Southwest Airlines, which codeshared flights with ATA said they too will assist affected ATA customers.