Would it have been possible for Southwest to somehow "prop up" ATA for a very short period of time, with the stipulation that no new trips could originate? This would have been expensive, sure. But, it would have demonstrated a commitment to customers who (as of the time of ATA's shutdown) had already flown the outbound portion of their itinerary but had not flown the return segment(s). Possibly some kind of "wet lease" agreement and/or Southwest paying ATA's operating costs (for the scheduled service side of their business only) for 1 or 2 weeks?
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