The New York Times reports that American Airlines canceled 1,094 flights on Wednesday ... more than one-third of its schedule ... to double-check safety on their MD-80 airplanes. Another 900 flights are expected to be canceled on Thursday. Add the prior cancellations (460 on Tuesday) and it's more than 2,400 flights in three days -- the biggest blow to air travel in the US since 9-11.
Airports hardest hit: Dallas-Fort Worth International, Chicago O'Hare International and New York LaGuardia International.
Before the grounding news, American had announced a hiring freeze due to "high fuel costs and a slowing economy." The company was projecting a 39 percent increase in fuel compared with 2007.
Last week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on FAA safety practices. USA Today charges that the hearing revealed that "the FAA has fallen back on its old, dangerous habit of coddling airlines at the public's expense, putting the industry's enviable safety record of recent years at risk."
Inspectors, mechanics and pilots have also claimed that the FAA was soft on airlines and that "American has a poor record for complying with the letter and spirit of FAA airworthiness directives."
After the Committee scheduled the hearing, the FAA "confirmed its pledge to revise how it records safety concerns and inspection data" and accessed a record $10.2 million fine against Southwest "for flying dozens of planes that hadn't been properly inspected for fuselage cracks."
Fort Worth-based American is the nation's largest carrier. Two weeks ago, the airline grounded its MD-80 planes after 15 failed inspection; 9-of-10 failed an FAA inspection on Monday. Only 30 of its 300 had been cleared by the FAA on Wednesday.
The What Is The FAA?
From the web: Tips for Travelers and When A Watchdog Isn't
Comments