On Apr 8, 10:53 pm, Too_Many_Tools wrote:
On Apr 2, 7:53 am, Too_Many_Tools wrote:
On Mar 27, 7:10 wrote:
On Mar 26, 9:25 wrote:
And a government that hasn't been watching theairlines...that would
be bad for business.
If only we had an administration who cared more for people than for
dollars.
TMT
AmericanAirlinescancels flights Wed Mar 26, 10:18 AM ET
AmericanAirlinescanceled about 200 flights on Wednesday so its crews
can inspect some wire bundles aboard its MD-80 aircraft.
The cancelled flights represent less than 10 percent of the nation's
biggest airline's scheduled service for the day.
The need for the new inspections became known during an audit of
American by a joint team of inspectors from the Federal Aviation
Administration and the Fort Worth-based airline, according to a
statement from American.
"We are reinspecting the MD-80s to make sure the wiring is installed
and secured exactly according to the directive," American spokesman
Tim Wagner said in the statement, which did not describe the function
of the wiring.
"We are in the process of completing the inspections on the remaining
airplanes and will return them to service on a rolling basis
throughout the day," Wagner said.
About 50 departures each were canceled at American's hubs at Dallas-
Fort Worth and Chicago O'Hare international airports.
Shares of American's parent AMR Corp. fell 43 cents, or 4.5 percent,
to $9.20 in morning trading Wednesday. They have traded in a 52-week
range of $8.38 to $34.
Oh look...here's another one....
Now how could this be happening if the government was doing its job of
oversight?
Cut a corner here, take a shortcut there...and people start falling
out of the sky.
I wonder if this has anything to do with all those Republicans that
will be flying into the GOP convention this summer?
TMT
Flight cancellations spread to Delta
Flight cancellations caused headaches for people taking flights on
Delta Air Lines from Atlanta on Thursday because of the company's
voluntary re-inspection of wiring on its MD-88 airplanes.
Delta began the inspections Wednesday night, causing flights to be
canceled and unsuspecting passengers to become frustrated.
Officials were expecting heavy volumes at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta
International Airport on Thursday, Delta spokeswoman Chris Kelly said.
Both Delta and the Transportation Security Administration were
bringing in extra staff to handle the crowd of travelers, she said.
Kelly said she didn't yet have estimates on how many passengers were
affected by the flight cancelations and urged travelers to check their
flight's status on Delta's Web site.
Delta's MD-90 planes were initially part of the re-inspection, but it
was later determined that only Delta's 117 MD-88s would be part of the
review, Kelly said.
Delta's review comes as AmericanAirlinescanceled about 325 flights
Wednesday so its crews could inspect wire bundles aboard its MD-80
aircraft.
Delta said its planes were inspected earlier this year but the airline
is "proactively and voluntarily revalidating" compliance with a
directive from the Federal Aviation Administration.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
And yet another one....
Now how could this be happening if the government was doing its job
of
oversight?
Placing the flying public at risk...and the government allowing it.
TMT
United grounds 777s for inspections
UnitedAirlinestemporarily grounded 11 percent of its fleet
Wednesday, while it tested dozens of Boeing 777s to make sure
components of a cargo fire suppression system were operating
effectively, the carrier said.
The Chicago-based airline said testing will be done on 52 777s during
the next 36 hours. Spokeswoman Jean Medina said 12 planes had been
inspected and cleared to fly by midmorning.
The carrier has about 460 aircraft.
Delays were being reported in Japan and Hawaii Wednesday morning and
the airline warned passengers to be prepared for other delays and
cancellations as it proceeded with the inspections.
United, a subsidiary of UAL Corp., said a review of maintenance
records showed a test on one of five bottles in the fire suppression
system hadn't been performed. The airline alerted authorities.
The planes, which have a so-called "intuitive" self-diagnostic system
that would have detected any malfunction with the fire suppression
system, mostly fly international routes and from the carrier's major
hubs.
United carried out unscheduled maintenance on seven of its Boeing 747
jets last month but found no safety-related issues.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been checking maintenance
records at all domesticairlinesafter revelations surfaced about
missed safety inspections at SouthwestAirlinesCo.
___
On the Net:
http://www.united.com-Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
And yet another instance....
How do you feel knowing the Government has put you and your family at
risk/
TMT
American cancels more flights By DAVID KOENIG, AP Business Writer
Tue Apr 8, 6:48 PM ET
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.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
WOW...we are watching the airline industry meltdown...
Serves them right.....putting the American public in flying bombs.
Isn't this what terrorists do?
TMT
American cancels more than 1,000 flights By DAVID KOENIG, AP Business
Writer
Wed Apr 9, 7:21 PM ET
Business trips and vacations were disrupted for tens of thousands of
travelers Wednesday as American Airlines canceled more than 1,000
flights -- nearly half its schedule -- to fix faulty wiring that could
cause a short-circuit or even a fire and explosion.
It was the latest -- and largest -- in a wave of cancellations at major
U.S. airlines that have caused long lines at ticket counters and made
flying even more stressful than usual.
Executives at American said safety was never compromised, and they
suggested the nation's biggest airline was the victim of suddenly
stepped-up scrutiny by federal regulators.
American estimated that more than 100,000 travelers were booked on the
canceled flights. Many had to scramble to book new flights and were
stranded at hotels far from home.
The airline had already scrubbed 460 flights on Tuesday after federal
inspectors found problems with wiring work done two weeks ago, during
the first set of shutdowns.
A top executive said the cancellations would be a "significant" cost
to American, and shares of parent AMR Corp. fell 11.1 percent, down
$1.15 to $9.17.
The issue stems from an order that the Federal Aviation Administration
gave airlines in September 2006 -- and gave airlines until last month
to meet -- about the bundling of wires in the backup power system for
the fuel pump of the MD-80 airplanes. The fear is that improperly
bundled wires could rub, leading to an electrical short or even fire.
However, no serious incidents have been blamed on the bundles, the FAA
said.
American officials thought they had fixed the problem last month. But
this week, FAA inspectors found problems with the work done on more
than a dozen planes. American said it had no choice but to ground all
300 of its MD-80s to deal with the wiring bundles.
American operates about 2,200 daily flights, more than one-third with
MD-80s. Nearly half the cancellations were concentrated at two
airports, in Dallas and Chicago.
At New York's LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday, hundreds of passengers
stood in check-in lines or milled about, using cell phones to get
updates on their flights. The airline offered free doughnuts, coffee
and orange juice, but there were few takers.
"They should be able to predict these kinds of things," said Laura
Goodman, whose flight home to Dallas was canceled. She said would miss
an important meeting because the airline couldn't rebook her until
Thursday.
New Yorker Michelle Soss had hoped to steal a few days in Albuquerque,
N.M.
"I covered my kids' schedules, I covered my work schedule to get away
for a few days," she said. "I don't know if I'm getting anywhere."
American's cancellations came after similar delays at Southwest, Delta
and United. Last week, hundreds of travelers were marooned when Aloha
Airlines and ATA Airlines shut down and filed for bankruptcy
protection.
Alaska Airlines said Wednesday it canceled 14 flights to inspect the
wiring on its nine MD-80s.
For travelers, the bad news might not be over. Daniel Garton,
American's executive vice president, said flights would be canceled
Thursday -- he said it was too early to say how many -- and possibly on
Friday, too.
A return to normal operations depends on how quickly mechanics can
inspect and fix the wire bundles. As of Wednesday morning, only 30
MD-80s had been cleared to fly by the FAA.
Garton acknowledged that the bundling of wires had not met FAA
standards, but he said "these were not huge errors" and posed no
threat to safety. He said the agency used to give airlines "latitude"
in interpreting safety regulations, but no longer.
The FAA began looking more closely at airlines' compliance with safety
directives in recent weeks, after it was criticized for letting
Southwest operate planes that had missed inspections for cracked
fuselages.
In the past few weeks, the FAA levied a $10.2 million penalty against
Southwest and conducted new inspections at all U.S. airlines, leading
to flight cancellations at Southwest, Delta and United.
FAA spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere said inspectors found problems with
the wiring bundles at 15 of 19 American MD-80s that it checked this
week.
The 2006 safety order from the FAA directs airlines in how to pack and
stow wiring to a hydraulic pump in the wheel well to prevent the wires
from rubbing together.
According to the FAA, shorted wires could ignite fuel vapors and cause
a fuel-tank explosion that could destroy a plane.
The explosion of TWA Flight 800 off New York's Long Island that killed
all 230 people aboard in July 1996 was blamed on fuel vapors ignited
by wiring. But it was a Boeing 747, not an MD-80, and investigators
believe the disaster involved different wiring from the bundles now
under scrutiny.
Brian Stirm, an aircraft-maintenance expert at Purdue University, said
airlines had plenty of time for the inspections and that even an
untrained mechanic could spot a problem.
The cancellations could hardly come at a worse time for American. Its
parent, AMR Corp., is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings in
two weeks, and analysts are forecasting a loss of more than $300
million. High fuel prices and the downturn in the economy are hurting
the industry.
American officials said the company would give $500 travel vouchers to
anyone stranded overnight. It also paid for hotel rooms and meals for
an undisclosed number of passengers.
Bob McAdoo, an airline analyst, said passengers might soon forget the
debacle, especially since several other major airlines have canceled
flights recently. But he said passengers who missed big events like
weddings might avoid American again.
Kathy Neer of Santa Fe, N.M., was caught up in both waves of
cancellations to and from a vacation in Paris. She and her husband
were stranded in Dallas on Tuesday on the final leg of their journey
home. American gave the Neers a voucher for a hotel room and seats on
another flight home Wednesday.
"They say our flight is leaving at 3:55 p.m., but do you think we
trust them?" Neer said. "After being burned twice, we're a little
skeptical."
___
Associated Press writers Ula Ilnytzky in New York, Jeff Carlton in
Dallas and Dan Caternicchia in Washington contributed to this report.