Fort Wayne, you're on vacation: ATA launches service to Chicago Midway.

• Author: Kaelble, Steve
• Position: Brief Article

IT SEEMS THAT PEOPLE IN northwest Indiana just can't wait to get to Florida. When ATA launched service from Fort Wayne International Airport this month, there was no shortage of customers waiting to catch a turboprop to Chicago's Midway Airport, from which many went on to ATA destinations in the Sunshine State.

The new service from the Indianapolis-based, low cost airline followed heavy lobbying by Fort Wayne civic leaders and residents, says Stan Hula, vice president of planning. "There was a push on the part of the community. They even made a 10 minute video for ATA that showed children singing 'come to Fort Wayne' and that sort of thing."

Add to those efforts the wishes of some 2,500 Fort Wayne-area members of Ambassadair, the travel club affiliated with ATA. "They're very frequent ATA users; a lot have condos in Florida," Hula...