Airline safety checks tightened
The delays and frustrations may have only just begun as the Federal Aviation Administration cracks down on airlines for safety inspections. Already this week airlines have canceled more than 700 flights. According to a report in USA Today, American Airlines repaired wiring on 145 of 291 airplanes it inspected. The repairs disrupted travel for some 46,000 of the carrier’s passengers. None of the 177 planes that Delta checked needed repair. While other airlines said they don’t have any immediate plans to cancel flights, that could change as the FAA broadens a safety inquiry launched after Southwest Airlines was fined a record $10.2 million earlier this month. “I wouldn’t be surprised if in the next weeks, you saw other carriers pulling planes out of service,” said Dick Marchi, senior vice president of the Airports Council International. With flights running at record capacity, “that has the potential to be very disruptive,” Marchi added. Airlines said they will not hesitate to cancel flights. “There is nothing an airline does that is more important than safety. If that means canceling flights, they will do that,” David Castelveter of the Air Transport Association, which represents major U.S. airlines, told USA Today. “Carriers are under enormous pressure by regulators, Congress and the general public to ensure that they are in compliance” with safety directives.
USA Today also has a helpful Q&A for travelers on what they might face with the prospect of more cancellations looming.
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