He followed years after his parents moved there Mikelsons finally began pursuing his passion when he saw a sign offering flights for under $10.

In 1973, Mikelsons started his own travel club, Ambassadair, taking a loan and mortgaging his home to purchase a Boeing 720, which he named "Miss Indy".

In 1993, ATA made its initial public offering, trading on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol AMTR.

After the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the slump in airline travel and rising fuel costs severely impacted ATA.

Upon emergence from bankruptcy, Mikelson retired from ATA and its airline holdings, turning the reins of the company to a MatlinPatterson-led board of directors and former Southwest executive John G. Denison.

ATA Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection again on April 2, 2008, and announced the discontinuation of all operations "following the loss of a key contract for our military charter business".