Overview

In late 2004, founder Mark McCoy took the first step towards what is now realized in American Trans Air Virtual today, and established an agreement with the real ATA Airlines, Inc. which would provide Mark's company McCoy Aviation the opportunity to develop and operate a virtual airline designed entirely around the nation's largest charter carrier in North America today.

American Trans Air Virtual celebrated the launch of the airline in late December 2004 with the goal of providing the tools and resources necessary for virtual pilots to take their share in the legacy of the former company, American Trans Air (ATA).

ATA served major business centers and the most popular vacation destinations through its scheduled service and charter operations. During it's 35-year history, ATA's brand of reliable, high quality air transportation served more than 10 million passengers annually. American Trans Air also proudly operated charters, the largest customer being the U.S. military. ATA was one of the largest troop carriers of any other airline. On April 3rd 2008, ATA ceased operations, amid skyrocketing fuel costs, weak economic conditions, and the loss of a key government charter contract. The airline immediately laid off its 2,300 employees and canceled all current and future flights.

In its 35 years, ATA truly established itself as one of America's top airlines. The staff here at American Trans Air Virtual would like to invite you to come take part in the legacy of ATA by joining here.

Diverse Pilots & Operations

Diversity is one of the proudest qualities ATAv maintains. Our pilots hail from over thirty countries, ranging from the United States to Morocco, and within the United States, our pilots represent the virtual airline in all fifty states. But the diversity doesn't only come from our pilot group: ATAv offers flights on our schedules page to 811 cities worldwide. ATAv has divided flights into specific groups - mainline or codeshare, charters, Chicago Express, and ExecuJet.

• Mainline or codeshare flights are flights scheduled by ATA. In other words, what someone could purchase as a regular paying passenger. These also include select flights the real ATA codeshares with its partner, Southwest Airlines.
• Charter flights, which account for 71% of all flights on ATAv's schedules, are flights ATA has flown at one time, per a customer request. Customers include a wide range of clients. Flights include those for incentive/special events, professional and collegiate sports teams, wholesale tour operators, disaster relief, government transportions, and sub-service or wet least programs. Additionally, ATA is the primary carrier for U.S. military personnel among civilian contractors.
• Chicago Express flights are based on the schedules of ATA's former regional airline subsidiary, operated by Chicago Express under the name "ATA Connection". This brand was spun off from the ATA holding company and sold in early 2005. However, ATA virtual still emulates their operations and most pilots starting at the virtual airline with no previous flight hours will be flying these flights.
• ExecuJet flights are the highest rank privilege at ATAv and allow pilots to choose their departure and destination airports, as long as they are within the range of the three aircraft in the ExecuJet program. The real ATA also owned the ExecuJet subsidiary until it was sold in 2007.

As a pilot for ATA Virtual, one day you could be flying from Dallas to Chicago, and the next day be captaining a military charter from Budapest to Kuwait. With over 5300 scheduled flights, access to ExecuJet charters, and a schedule that is growing daily, the options are literally endless.

Professionalism & Community

We strive for complete professionalism at ATA Virtual, from our website to the staff team. Our staff team consists of dedicated experts in the virtual aviation industry, from training to station management. Even so, the staff have the personal dedication and accessibility needed for the right mix of professionalism, yet at the same time, a tight-knit community atmosphere. No one at ATAv is treated as a simple "pilot number" - where as at some virtual airlines, a pilot can get lost in the mix of many and cannot truly feel involved in the group. Being in operation for almost three years, ATAv has now amassed a roster of over 250 active pilots! In 6 crew bases situated throughout the United States, constant website upgrades, and new features for pilots, ATAv is leading the way in a new era of virtual aviation!