Home > Anders Meanders > Archives > 2008 > March > 27 > Entry
Another day, another bunch of grounded planes
So, today some American planes and some Deltas are grounded for inspections. First it was Southwest’s Boeing 737s; now it’s McDonnell Douglas MD-80s and MD-88s. If I were a betting woman, I’d bet that other airlines and other plane models will follow during this FAA audit of inspections. And I’m just fine with that. I want the planes I fly on to be safe. It’s too bad they all have to be inspected at once, but, yes, let’s inspect them.
Today’s impact? It doesn’t look as bad at Dallas-Fort Worth as far as the number of grounded planes goes. Numbers aren’t always clear, though. Wednesday, American said it would cancel 200 flights and canceled 300. Today, AA says it’s finishing up the last planes and should be through with cancellations tonight, though there are 132 today, including the 5:05 departure out of Austin for St. Louis.
But today’s canceled routes (or canceled, if you prefer; don’t get me started) are biggies — to places such as Boston, Los Angeles, New York and Newark, N.J. Business folks love these early morning flights. I can see them now, stalking around the airport on their cell phones, rearranging their meetings.
Delta’s hub is Atlanta, and there’s a smattering of cancellations there — not as many as I’d expect. But the bottom line is that you need to go to your airline’s Web site immediately and check on your specific flight. Don’t wait until you get to the airport to rebook. You’ll already be behind.
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