Delta, American cancel more flights
The airlines continue to inspect wiring on MD-80 aircraft, grounding hundreds of flights nationally but so far having limited impact on departures from the L.A. area.
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines canceled hundreds more flights today as they continued to inspect wiring on their MD-80 aircraft, and US Airways said it would begin inspecting its fleet of 757 jets.
The inspections were having only modest impacts at Southern California airports today. As of midmorning, American had canceled only four departures from Los Angeles International Airport and one from Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. Delta said its operations in Southern California were unaffected.
Nationwide, Delta said it expected to cancel about 275 flights today and Friday morning, about 3% of its total daily schedule. American said it expects 132 systemwide cancellations today, about 5% of its primary jet operations.
US Airways couldn't be reached for comment on whether the inspections of its fleet of 45 Boeing 757s would result in any cancellations. Bloomberg News reported that the carrier is inspecting the aircraft after a wing panel dislodged from a 757 during a March 22 flight and struck the side of the aircraft.
Aviation experts note that the flurry of maintenance inspections and flight cancellations comes as the U.S. airline fleet ages. Experts said the airlines' decision to voluntarily ground planes for inspections didn't signal that they were unsafe. But the episode is the latest indication that a combination of aging aircraft and schedule reductions are leaving the industry with fewer options.
U.S. airlines, beset by financial woes that have forced them to postpone capital investments, operate some of the oldest fleets in the world, noted Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group.
Older aircraft need more upkeep, which can result in more downtime.
"This isn't a safety issue," he said. "But reliability is becoming a concern due to the age of the fleet." And with fewer planes, the carriers also are hard-pressed to re-book passengers onto other flights when there are cancellations for inspections or other reasons.
Maintenance issues have been high profile at America's airports for weeks as carriers scramble to bring maintenance inspections up to date after a recent Federal Aviation Administration crackdown. On March 6, the FAA assessed a $10.2-million fine against Southwest Airlines.
Since then United Airlines, American Eagle, American and Delta have conducted voluntary inspections, and more may be ahead.
