american cancels 500 flights

[BlueWahooChambordDevil]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">American cancels more flights
By DAVID KOENIG, AP Business Writer

DALLAS - American Airlines said it was canceling up to 500 flights Tuesday, potentially more than one-fifth of its schedule, to check the bundling of wires in some planes, the same issue that caused the airline to scrap more than 400 flights last month.

American, the nation's largest carrier, said the cancellations could spill into Wednesday and beyond.

The airline said the Federal Aviation Administration raised more concerns about the recent inspections of the wiring in its approximately 300 MD-80 aircraft.

The inspections will focus on issues including the spacing and direction of cords used to secure bundles of wires in the planes' auxiliary hydraulic systems. The company said they were not safety-of-flight issues.

Tim Wagner, a spokesman for the airline, said an FAA inspector checked several planes Monday and found that some of the work performed last month didn't meet the agency's standards.

American operates about 2,300 daily flights. Wagner said 185 flights had already been canceled by late afternoon at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, where American often uses MD-80s.

The FAA has tightened inspections of planes at all U.S. carriers since the agency came under fire for letting Southwest Airlines Co. fly planes that had missed safety inspections. American and Delta Air Lines Inc. both canceled flights in late March to perform wiring-related inspections and repairs.

Wagner said the latest grounding of flights was due to "very detailed and technical compliance" with instructions that American gave its mechanics last month for how to comply with the FAA order on wiring in MD-80s, and the work done by the mechanics.

Wagner said the company started pulling planes out of service in mid-afternoon. The work may last just 10 to 20 minutes per plane but could take longer if wiring needs to be rebundled, he said.

It is "quite possible" that the work "? and flight cancellations "? could stretch beyond Wednesday, he said.

In a statement issued by the airline, Chief Executive Gerard Arpey said, "We regret and apologize that we are once again causing inconvenience to our customers." He said the company was working in good faith to comply completely with the FAA wiring order.

The Fort Worth-based airline said it would put displaced travelers on other American flights or those operated by competitors.

The cancelations and resulting loss of revenue could hardly come at a worse time for American, which is facing high fuel prices and a weakening economy that could hurt demand for travel.

American's parent, AMR Corp., is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings in two weeks, and analysts are forecasting a loss of more than $300 million, according to a survey by Thomson Financial.

Jamie Baker, an analyst with JPMorgan, said in a recent note to clients that he expects airline revenue to decline significantly beginning in the April-June second quarter due to the one-two punch of costly fuel and a possible recession.</div></div>

[mm70]

I'm not at all surprised by that announcement. I will never fly on a Delta plane out of the Tri-Cities, ever again! (Had a terrible experience a few years back) We were coming from Atlanta to the Tri-Cities-got 15 minutes away from the Tri-Cities and they came over the loud speaker saying they were having difficulties and would have to return to Atlanta, instead of going on to the Tri-Cities.

Come to find out the Tri-Cities didn't have anyone to fix a DELTA engine, They were more worried about that than their passengers. So we were forced to go another hour, shaking, turning sideways, making 5 or 6 attempts to land...

It wasn't bad enough that we almost crashed because of an engine malfunction, but then they sent us home on a 7 hour trip on a bus that leaked in the pouring rain. People were sitting with umbrellas over their heads to keep the water from pouring on them. The terrifying 5 or 6 attempts to land a little puddle jumper without success, must not have been enough punishment for us. Our luggage and everything in it were ruined because of all the water standing where they put it.

I should have known when we boarded and it felt like we were sitting upright in a coffin with plastic windows so scratched that you couldn't see out of them that it wasn't going to be a smooth ride.

DELTA stands for Don't Ever Leave The Airport...we never got an apology or reimbursement or anything. There is no doubt in my mind there are all kinds of planes being used that don't need to be up there.

I kept thinking we were on a "Punked" episode and Ashton Kuscher was going to jump out at any moment and tell us they were kidding, it just didn't seem real. From now on I'll spend some extra money and try and find a better airline, if there is a such thing anymore.

[BlueWahooChambordDevil]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tre&falsmom</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm not at all surprised by that announcement. I will never fly on a Delta plane out of the Tri-Cities, ever again! (Had a terrible experience a few years back) We were coming from Atlanta to the Tri-Cities-got 15 minutes away from the Tri-Cities and they came over the loud speaker saying they were having difficulties and would have to return to Atlanta, instead of going on to the Tri-Cities.

Come to find out the Tri-Cities didn't have anyone to fix a DELTA engine, They were more worried about that than their passengers. So we were forced to go another hour, shaking, turning sideways, making 5 or 6 attempts to land...

It wasn't bad enough that we almost crashed because of an engine malfunction, but then they sent us home on a 7 hour trip on a bus that leaked in the pouring rain. People were sitting with umbrellas over their heads to keep the water from pouring on them. The terrifying 5 or 6 attempts to land a little puddle jumper without success, must not have been enough punishment for us. Our luggage and everything in it were ruined because of all the water standing where they put it.

I should have known when we boarded and it felt like we were sitting upright in a coffin with plastic windows so scratched that you couldn't see out of them that it wasn't going to be a smooth ride.

DELTA stands for Don't Ever Leave The Airport...we never got an apology or reimbursement or anything. There is no doubt in my mind there are all kinds of planes being used that don't need to be up there.

I kept thinking we were on a "Punked" episode and Ashton Kuscher was going to jump out at any moment and tell us they were kidding, it just didn't seem real. From now on I'll spend some extra money and try and find a better airline, if there is a such thing anymore. </div></div>
wow

talk about a shitty story

the only times i really fly are from NY/NJ to Fla.......so jetblue and spirit are my first choices

if i cant fly either of those two......my next options become continental from newark or usair out of philly

i havent flown delta in a couple of years now.......last time i did i flew from philly to atl then on to trailerhassee for the miami/fsu game

before that i flew song a few times from FLL when they created that to try and keep up with jetblue

ive never been a fan of delta, united or american......i despise SW and airtran......i wouldnt let my dog fly either of those airlines

[mm70]

I wish someone had told me that beforehand, haha. I felt like someone was going to get out and have to spin the propeller before we lifted off to get it going. 11 of my family members were on that plane. ( My kids first flight). We were coming back from New York. The trip from New York to Atlanta was on a big 757-real pleasant experience. Then we got to Atlanta and the nightmare began. You know it's bad when the stewardess' voice is shaking as they tell you they are having difficulties and another one is sitting in front of you strapped in refusing to make eye contact with anyone...Shew! I still get chills when I think about it.

JetBlue sounds great. You really don't need to look for the cheapest tickets you can find-most of the time there is a reason for it, lol.

[BlueWahooChambordDevil]

as it is im not a fan of flying despite the fact that i do enough of it

whenever possible ill pay more for a direct flight because 1 flight is bad enough for me......when i can avoid 2......i cant put a price on it

when it is unavoidable......i always try to make sure that my connection wont be a mouse in a cheese wheel plane.......which sometimes (like my trip to tally) is unavoidable

my hatred for those prop jobs started when i was in college

flying home to NJ from school in boston sucked ass

it was only a 45 minute flight.......but continental express was about as much fun as being stabbed in the face with a rusty screwdriver

it was hell on earth

jetblue and spirit have been well worth every dime ive ever spent with them

comfort and service are both among the best ive had

jetblues wide leather seats and directv makes your flight much easier

spirit is always on time

[BlueWahooChambordDevil]

American cancels more than 1,000 flights
By DAVID KOENIG, AP Business Writer

DALLAS - American Airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights Wednesday, more than one-third of its schedule, as it spent a second straight day inspecting the wiring on some of its jets "? the same issue that caused it to scrub hundreds of flights two weeks ago.

The nation's biggest airline had already canceled 460 flights on Tuesday, stranding thousands of travelers. Federal inspectors found problems with wiring work done two weeks ago, although the airline says passenger safety was never jeopardized.

Airline officials said the flights would have averaged more than 100 passengers, meaning that more than 100,000 travelers could have been left scrambling to book new flights.

Tim Wagner, a spokesman for American, said the cancellations could continue beyond Wednesday as the airline works on its fleet of 300 MD-80 jets. By Wednesday morning, only 30 of the planes were back in service.

American uses the MD-80s mostly on mid-range flights, particularly from hub airports in Dallas and Chicago. Wagner said 208 of Wednesday's cancellations would occur at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and 138 at Chicago O'Hare.

At New York's LaGuardia Airport, hundreds of passengers stood in a check-in line. The airline offered free doughnuts, coffee and orange juice, but there were few takers.

Bishop Bernard Jordan, a Harlem minister, was in a first-class line trying to catch a flight to Atlanta, where he was scheduled to preach Wednesday night.

"It would have been good to know in advance," said Jordan, who said he has 4 million frequent-flier miles with American and flies to Atlanta every other week. "I would have booked with another airline."

At Dallas-Fort Worth, Mike Barnes was wearing the same clothes he had on Tuesday morning when he left San Diego for a business trip to Indianapolis. The trip was interrupted by the sudden midday announcement of cancellations, leading Barnes to call the airline "totally unprepared."

"If it was safe enough to fly from San Diego to Dallas, why isn't it safe enough to fly from Dallas to Indianapolis?" asked the 53-year-old information technology consultant.

The airline issued a fresh apology Wednesday from Gerard Arpey, the chief executive of American and its parent, AMR Corp. Arpey said American "will do whatever it takes" to help affected customers, including compensating those who stayed overnight somewhere other than their final destination.

The Fort Worth-based carrier said it would put displaced travelers on other American flights or those operated by competitors. Wagner said that because the delays were "within our control" and not weather-related, American was offering meals, lodging and ground transportation to those affected.

American operates about 2,300 daily flights, more than one-third with MD-80s.

It was American's second bout with mass cancellations in less than two weeks for failing to meet the same wiring rules set by the Federal Aviation Administration, which is cracking down on airlines after admitting its inspectors were too lax last year with Southwest Airlines Co.

Since the FAA began looking more closely at airlines' compliance with safety directives, there have been cancellations at Southwest, Delta Air Lines Inc. and UAL Corp.'s United Airlines. The agency levied a $10.2 million civil penalty against Southwest for using planes that had missed inspections for cracks in the fuselage.

This week, FAA inspectors looked at 19 of American's planes and found that 15 violated regulations on bundling of wires in the wheel well, said FAA spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere. According to American, the issue revolves around the spacing and direction of cords used to secure bundles of wires in the planes' auxiliary hydraulic systems.

The airline said flight safety was never compromised, but began yanking planes out of service around mid-afternoon Tuesday so that wiring bundles could be inspected and stowed properly in the wheel wells.

The cancellations and resulting loss of revenue could hardly come at a worse time for American, which is facing high fuel prices and a weakening economy that could hurt demand for travel.

AMR is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings in two weeks, and analysts are forecasting a loss of more than $300 million, according to a survey by Thomson Financial.

Jamie Baker, an analyst with JPMorgan, said in a recent note to clients that he expects airline revenue to decline significantly beginning in the April-June quarter due to the one-two punch of costly fuel and a possible recession.