American cancels nearly 1,100 flights
Hundreds more are expected as wiring bundles are checked on its entire fleet of MD-80s.
More than 100,000 air travelers across the nation wrestled with flight cancellations, long lines and ruined vacation plans Wednesday as American Airlines continued to ground planes for maintenance inspections and said more disruptions were coming in the days ahead.
American Airlines canceled 1,100 flights Wednesday and said it expected to scrub at least 900 more flights today while it inspects and makes adjustments to wiring bundles on its fleet of 300 MD-80 aircraft. There has been a string of air travel disruptions caused by maintenance inspections in recent weeks.
The latest cancellations that began Tuesday created chaotic conditions at several major airports around the country, including Los Angeles International, where American is the biggest carrier in terms of passenger boardings. Passengers complained of jammed phone lines to American ticket agents and a lack of warning from the carrier's computerized travel update system.
"We know we have to fly and we have no say-so," said Ron Ensz, 52, who was trying to get home to Wichita, Kan. "They tell us to wait in line like cows, we wait in line like cows."
Adding to the problems: Alaska Airlines canceled 25 flights -- including one at LAX -- while it performed checks on its MD-80s.
American said the inspections were prompted by a Federal Aviation Administration spot check Monday related to the agency's airworthiness directives, which spell out precise procedures for keeping the nation's air fleet in top condition.
Many travelers waiting at LAX said they didn't understand why the airline would inconvenience so many travelers if there wasn't any danger. And one travel expert said the repeated maintenance-related cancellations were taking a toll.
"Travelers cannot count on the air travel system as it stands right now," said Kevin Mitchell, head of the Business Travel Coalition. About 40% of members responding to a survey this week said they would be less likely to fly because of safety issues, Mitchell said.
At LAX, where American scrubbed 25 of its 92 scheduled departures, hundreds of travelers waited in a line that snaked through Terminal 4 to re-book their flights. American employees set out cartons of orange juice, bottled water and coffee on a nearby table and handed out slips containing an apology and an 800 number, but few customers were mollified.
