ATA's parent to change name

INDIANAPOLIS - Shareholders of American Trans Air&#39;s parent company voted Monday to change the corporation&#39;s name from Amtran Inc. to ATA Holdings Corp. to avoid confusion with a similarly named airline. <br> <br> The nation&#39;s 10th largest airline presented the proposal at its annual shareholder meeting, citing public confusion over Amtran&#39;s name and that of AirTran Airways, a 4,000-employee carrier based in Orlando. <br> <br> ``We just really needed to have a different parent name,&#39;&#39; ATA spokeswoman Angela Thomas said. <br> <br> For now, the Indianapolis-based company&#39;s stock will continue to trade on the Nasdaq exchange under the same ticker symbol - AMTR - Thomas said. <br> <br> Amtran shares closed at $13.15 on Monday, down 33 cents for the day. <br> <br> Last summer, shares had risen above $22. But they sunk below $6 in October following the terrorist attacks. <br> <br> The airline faces uncertainty over a possible strike by its 970 pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association. After nearly two years of talks, ATA pilots on April 5 voted overwhelmingly to allow a strike if a contract is not negotiated. Talks are now being conducted through mediation. <br> <br> Pilots held an informational picket outside Monday&#39;s shareholders meeting. <br> <br> ATA furloughed about 1,100 employees of its 8,000 employees after the terrorist attacks and cut nearly 20 percent of its flights. Most of those employees have since been rehired because of rebounding passenger traffic. <br> <br> The 29-year-old airline is the largest North American operator of commercial and military charters. The airline operates hubs at Chicago&#39;s Midway Airport and Indianapolis International Airport, with most of its scheduled routes in the Midwest and East.