Rise and Fall of American Trans Air

American Trans Air was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1973 as the flying arm of Ambassadair Travel Club, a members-only travel organisation founded by entrepreneur J George Mikelsons.

The company began operations with a single Boeing 720-025, Miss Indy, and initially flew members-only flights. However, after the US Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, Ambassadair applied to become a charter carrier.

This marked a significant shift for the company, which was now able to expand its operations and fleet. A second Boeing 720, Spirit of Indiana, was added, and the airline began to take advantage of new deregulation-era opportunities.