Apr 9, 2008 7:51 pm US/Eastern
American Airlines Cancels More Than 1,000 Flights
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
American Airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights Wednesday as it tries for a second time to comply with federal regulations about wiring on about 300 of its planes.
The news comes a day after the airlines canceled 500 flights so officials could inspect and, if necessary, rework the wiring in its aging MD-80 aircraft. Thousands of passengers are left stranded and searching for other options as they pile into long lines at area airports.
"I got up at 4:15 to head to Chicago for a business trip. And I got to the airport and I was told my flight was canceled," said Garden City resident Paul Beatty.
Federal inspectors found problems with wiring work done two weeks ago, although the airline says safety was never jeopardized.
Airline officials say they don't know how many flights will be affected today at LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark-Liberty airports. American Airlines operates a total of 240 flights daily at the three locations.
"I just want to get home..and i'm hoping that I get home some time today," said St. Thomas resident Peter Brown. "We've been in the airport since about 6:30 this morning."
Still reeling from last week's whistleblower testimony on Capitol Hill about lax inspections, the FAA is in no mood to let things slide.
In a written statement, American Airlines' CEO told passengers:
"We regret and apologize that we are once again causing inconvience to our customers, but we will continue to work in good faith until we satisfy all of the technical issues related to ths airworthiness directive."
Making matters worse, ticketed travlers say even as the airline gets through the inspections, it isn't doing the best job of providing accurate and updated information on their flight status.
"I got the e-mails from American Airlines saying the flight was on time. I come in here, went through security, got my boarding pass, and then they told us they were making fixes on the plane," said Manhattan resident Jay Indyke.
Tim Wagner, a spokesman for American, said cancellations could continue beyond Wednesday as the airline works on its MD-80 jets.
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.
American operates about 2,300 daily flights, more than one-third with MD-80s.
At LaGuardia, hundreds of passengers were forced to wait in line at the check-in counter to process cancellation. But travelers are saying the mood as calm and they are trying to be patient.
Passenger 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 at 7 p.m.
"It would have been good to know in advance," said Jordan, who has 4 million flight miles with American and flies to Atlanta every other week. "I would have booked with another airline."
But he said passengers were being patient, and the mood was calm.
Jordan, who was traveling with four other people, said he did not hear the airline make any announcements about the situation. Free doughnuts, coffee and orange juice were offered, but no one seemed be partaking.
"I don't think they're in the spirit of eating," he said. "People are more anxious about getting to their destinations."
American said it was placing displaced passengers on other flights. Wagner said the airline also was offering lodging and ground transportation to affected travelers.
Another passenger, Anil Baijal, who arrived from New Delhi, said he was happy. He was waiting to board a flight for Boston that was not canceled.
However, he said, "there are long delays. That's what happens when things go haywire."
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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