American cancels another 1,500 flights

American cancels another 1,500 flights

By Kevin Allison in San Francisco, Hal Weitzman in Chicago and Daniel Pimlott in Washington

Published: April 10 2008 19:06 | Last updated: April 11 2008 00:57

Chaos gripped US airports for a third straight day on Thursday as American Airlines cancelled about 1,500 more flights amid growing criticism of the aviation regulator.

The cancellations – 900 on Thursday and a further 570 scheduled for Friday – brought to about 3,000 the number of flights cancelled by the US carrier this week as it raced to perform safety checks. The cancellations came after Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and US Airways pulled flights after officials announced spot inspections of all US airlines’ safety paperwork.

Airlines have been under increased scrutiny since early March, when details surfaced of a congressional investigation into claims that the Federal Aviation Administration, the regulator, had permitted Southwest Airlines to fly aircraft that were not compliant with airworthiness standards.

Before the Senate aviation sub-committee on Thursday, the transportation department’s inspector-general criticised what he called an “overly collaborative” relationship between airlines and the FAA, and called for improved safety oversight.

“[Airlines] were deciding which inspectors checked their facility,” said Calvin Scovel. “To me it signals a regulator that has lost the respect of the [airlines it regulates].”

Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey said: “Every day it seems to get worse with the Federal Aviation Administration. I’m concerned that so many air travellers are stuck on the ground, but I’m even more concerned that so many potentially unsafe planes were allowed to take millions of Americans into the skies for so long.”

Analysts said this week’s disruptions could cost American tens of millions of dollars at a time when the industry is being hit by soaring fuel costs and recession fears.

Gerard Arpey, American’s chief executive, was quoted by Reuters as saying his airline would need several more days to restore normal operations.

The disruption prompted massive queues at airports.

American cancelled 123 flights at Chicago’s O’Hare, half its scheduled number of take-offs, after cancelling 168 flights on Wednesday. O’Hare, American’s second largest hub after Dallas Fort Worth, has been among the worst affected.

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Wave of safety checks snarls US travel plans

By Kevin Done and Jonathan Soble in London and Hal Weitzman and Justin Baer in Chicago

Published: April 10 2008 19:24 | Last updated: April 10 2008 19:24

The wave of disruption spreading across US airports in recent days shows little sign of abating, as airlines are forced to ground fleets of aircraft at short notice in response to growing concerns in the US about aviation safety regulation.

Chicago’s O’Hare airport, the second biggest aviation hub in the US after Atlanta, was hit by the chaos of flight cancellations after American Airlines was forced to ground its fleet of 300 ageing MD-80 short-haul jets used on domestic routes across the US. Meanwhile, Dallas Fort Worth, American’s largest hub, had 269 flights cancelled on Thursday.