It doesn’t take a mathematician to realize that booking one of the new flights to Washington, D.C., from Chicago aboard ATA (American Trans Air) is going to save major money.
Tickets for the three-times-a-day ATA flights to Reagan National Airport that begin leaving Monday from Midway Airport are priced at $139 round trip versus the $1,214 for the same ticket aboard Elk Grove Township-based United Airlines, a unit of UAL Corp., or Ft. Worth-based American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp.
Dozens of politicians will be on hand at 7 a.m. Monday for the sendoff of the first flight and ATA’s latest expansion at Midway.
“Service to Washington from Midway Airport represents our commitment to making [this] a successful hub,” said John Tague, president and chief executive officer of Amtran Inc., the holding company for ATA.
Founded in 1973, ATA is the largest charter carrier in North America. It operates a fleet of nearly 50 aircraft, including Boeing 727s and 757s and Lockheed L1011s. The airline began scheduled service in 1985 and launched its first flight from Midway in 1992.
For years the Indianapolis-based carrier was better known by its industry nickname–Mickey Mouse Airlines– for its focus on providing cheap, safe travel to families.
When the new Midway terminal opens late next year, ATA will occupy 13 of the airport’s 42 gates.
Prices likely will remain low because of the service offered by Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Inc. to Washington’s BWI International Airport from Midway. Southwest charges $261 full-coach fare for that flight.
For business travelers to Washington, however, the choice between BWI and Reagan National is a no-brainer.
New member: United this week is celebrating the addition of a new member to its Star Alliance. On Monday, Austrian Airlines became the 10th member of the global airline network.
Austrian, along with its regional partners Lauda Air and Tyrolean Airways, serves more than 120 destinations in 67 countries. It will offer non-stop service to Vienna from Chicago. In addition, the airline offers non-stop flights from New York and Washington.
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This is the second time that Austrian has offered service from Chicago. The airline pulled out of Chicago in 1995, three years after it initially began service.
“We’re very happy to be back in Chicago,” said Herbert Bramer, co-president of Austrian, who said Austrian pulled out after its partnership with Scandinavian Airways Systems [SAS] “fell apart.”
Legend wants in: Legend Airlines, the Dallas-based start-up that has been hoping to begin service since January, says it wants in at O’Hare International Airport.
In a filing this week with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the airline, based at Dallas’ Love Field, warned it can’t survive if it can’t fly to O’Hare and New York’s LaGuardia Field.
Three years ago, when Legend announced plans to launch its all-first-class service, it said Midway Airport and John F. Kennedy International in New York would do nicely. That was before American Airlines, however, decided to match Legend’s service from Love. But rather than fly to Midway, American is planning to serve O’Hare and LaGuardia using slots it already holds.
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E-mail John Schmeltzer at [email protected]