INDIANAPOLIS, June 26, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- ATA Airlines (Pink Sheets:ATAHQ) announces another major expansion of its codeshare agreement with Southwest Airlines to include Las Vegas connections for travel to Hawaii. The expansion makes ATA's low-fare service to Honolulu available to customers in 10 more Southwest markets and provides additional flight options for customers in another 19 markets. With this addition to the codeshare agreement, ATA and Southwest continue to expand codeshare opportunities for the fare-conscious traveling public in Florida.
Tickets may be purchased from ATA beginning today in the new codeshare markets and the first date of travel to the 10 new codeshare cities begins August 4, 2005. Just click on ata.com for more information and the lowest ATA fares with no online service fee. While you are there, you can register for ATA's generous Travel Awards program and start earning your Travel Awards quickly to places like Hawaii. You receive double bonus points on most flights when you buy on ata.com.
''We are excited to continue to build on the successful codeshare service we introduced with Southwest in February,'' said Stan Hula, ATA's Vice President, Planning. ''The addition of the Las Vegas-to-Honolulu connection service is the next logical step in our codeshare program. Many more Southwest Customers in Florida now have access and can take advantage of the great, low fares to one of the most popular vacation destinations.''
As a result of the Las Vegas-to-Honolulu expansion, ATA will, for the first time, provide low-fare service to Honolulu for connecting codeshare flights from the following Southwest cities: Albany, Amarillo, Kansas City, West Palm Beach, Reno, San Antonio, Seattle, Tulsa and Tucson. The expansion also means more low-fare options are available to Honolulu from 19 more Southwest cities like Baltimore, Columbus, Hartford, Philadelphia, Phoenix, St. Louis, Salt Lake City and more.
Fares are daily, each way based on a 7-day advance round-trip purchase in coach class on ata.com. The first ever codeshare arrangement between two low-fare airlines continues to gain popularity. On May 14, ATA announced it carried over 100,000 passengers with Southwest when it marked the 100th day of codeshare. ATA Airlines, headquartered in Indianapolis, now in its 32nd year of operation, offers ''easy'' and affordable travel to major business centers and popular vacation destinations like New York, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Hawaii, Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean. Through direct and connecting codeshare flights, ATA now serves customers in more than 70 markets. From its major hub operation at Chicago's Midway Airport, the airline offers 15 nonstop flights to the New York area every business day and a convenient daily schedule of nonstop flights to many other locations. For more information, visit ata.com.