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Language Foundation

ATA

ATA, meaning actual time of arrival, is the date and time when a vehicle, vessel, flight, or shipment actually reaches a specified destination or other stated location.

In plain English

It records when the transport or goods truly get there, rather than when they were expected. The timing includes both the calendar date and the clock time, and it is tied to a named destination or other stated location.

In context

Here, ATA reports the date and time when the shipment actually reached the stated destination or other named location.

Situation
Coordinating freight quotes, booking, consolidation, handoff, and transport documents
What it communicates
reports the actual arrival timing after the shipment arrives.

Meaning limits

By itself, this term does not show the planned arrival time or whether the arrival met any schedule.

Examples

“The ferry's ATA at the island was 18:42, not the 18:00 arrival listed on the timetable.”

Core meaning

“Once the shipment reached the inland depot, the clerk entered its ATA in the log.”

In context

  • arrival time Broader Term

    This is a more general term for the time something reaches a destination.

  • scheduled arrival time Contrast

    This refers to the planned time of arrival, not the recorded time when arrival actually happens.