American Expects to Cancel Many Flights

From CNN
American Airlines expected to cancel more flights Wednesday — and perhaps beyond — as it tried for a second time to comply with federal rules about wiring on about 300 of its planes. American Airlines says its cancellation of up to 500 flights could spill into Wednesday and beyond. Airline officials said they canceled about 500 flights Tuesday but didn't know how many would be scrubbed Wednesday. It depended on how quickly the airline could inspect and, if necessary, rework the wiring in its MD-80 aircraft. American operates about 2,300 daily flights, and more than one-third use MD-80s, most commonly on midrange flights from hub airports in Dallas and Chicago. 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. Tim Wagner, a spokesman for American, said an FAA inspector checked several MD-80s Monday and found that some of the wiring work performed two weeks ago didn't meet FAA standards. At issue: 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, beginning around midafternoon Tuesday, American began yanking planes out of service, so that wiring bundles could be inspected and stowed properly in the wheel wells. Gerard Arpey, the chief executive of American and its parent, AMR Corp., apologized for the inconvenience and said the airline was working to comply with FAA orders.
More