American Airlines Issues

Happened to be at O'Hare this afternoon when American pulled their MD-80's from service and started cancelling flights ... many, many unhappy people there, and a surging mass of humanity heading to the United terminal after AA endorsed the tickets over.

I feel so sorry for all the people stranded or unable to make their cruise. Now it is even more important to buy insurance when booking anything.

Jan

I'm hoping that since the half the flights from Tucson to Dallas were canceled today, that means that the same flights won't be canceled on Saturday. I gave myself an extra day to get to San Juan for my Sunday cruise, but I'm still quite nervous at this point. At least the flight from Dallas to San Juan is on a 757, so less risk for that leg. Maybe I should head up to the freeway and try hitchhiking to Dallas now :D

We are on MD80's out of Dallas this Friday! that's the second leg of our trip. I'm calling RCL tomorrow since they did our air, and see if we can change airlines even if it means a little more $$$$. has any one done this with the cruise lines yet ?? Or does any one know how fast they will return the planes to service??

Thanks

They are currently saying they should only be out of service for the next day or two.

I just read on yahoo that American Airlines cancelled 500 flights Tuesday and they may cancel more on Wednesday. Hopefully no one on cruise critic will be affected due to their cruise. However, with all these airlines doing last minute cancellations etc. its really making me nervous regarding my upcoming cruise May 3rd. :o We havent booked our airfare yet and plan to do so between Wed and Fri of this week. So far we are looking at booking on Airtran, but I am really nervous right now. What are your thoughts? I am also planning to purchase trip insurance, will that cover my airfare if we are affected? Also what is the best trip insurance company and insurance to purchase? Its 2 of us (mid 30's ages) and its a 7 nighter, any suggestions? :confused:

We haven't gotten out tickets yet. AA has been cancelling alot of their flights. Good thing we do Continental.

I think alot of people are feeling the same way you are if they are flying in the same day as the cruise. My best advice is to get the earliest flight out possible (for instance, we're flying out at 6:30 am), try and get a non-stop flight (less chances of missing a connection) and make sure you have a back up plan just in case

This is all fallout from the Sothwest failure to complete ADs (Airworthiness Directives). I work at American Eagle (AA Regianal), this latest grounding effects the MD-80 aircraft (325 total). The problem is that there is confusion between the FAA and AA about how some wiring is to be tied down to the aircraft in one of the wheel wells. This is very minor but has to be done correctly to satisfy the AD. The confusion is about whether the zip ties used to tie the wiring to the wheel well is supposed to be 1" or 1.5" apart and if the locking portion of the tie is to be facing out or facing in. This affects all MD-80 aircraft so I expect other carriers to ground some planes very soon (I.E. Delta, Alaska as well as Northwest who flys DC-9 which is what the MD-80s were called before Boeing took over). So steer clear of any flights involving these aircraft types and you should be fine.

.....I work at American Eagle (AA Regianal), this latest grounding effects the MD-80 aircraft (325 total)......

.....Can I assume that all these issues will be ironed out by August 20 or should I start re-booking now? Just my luck.

:rolleyes:

This is all fallout from the Sothwest failure to complete ADs (Airworthiness Directives). I work at American Eagle (AA Regianal), this latest grounding effects the MD-80 aircraft (325 total). The problem is that there is confusion between the FAA and AA about how some wiring is to be tied down to the aircraft in one of the wheel wells. This is very minor but has to be done correctly to satisfy the AD. The confusion is about whether the zip ties used to tie the wiring to the wheel well is supposed to be 1" or 1.5" apart and if the locking portion of the tie is to be facing out or facing in. This affects all MD-80 aircraft so I expect other carriers to ground some planes very soon (I.E. Delta, Alaska as well as Northwest who flys DC-9 which is what the MD-80s were called before Boeing took over). So steer clear of any flights involving these aircraft types and you should be fine.

Thanks for that info. We leave on Fri. 4/11 one day early on AA. I just check AA website and we are on a 757. Still makes me nervous, I better make some backup plans to get to MIA.

I am freaking out!! We also are on American Airlines leaving friday! I have no idea what a back up plan at this point could be!!! I am praying this is straightened out by then. Don't think I could get there driving by saturday.

Boy, all of these American, and other airline cancellations, are making me a bit nervous. We have our flight booked in the afternoon (from DFW :o ) the day before our cruise. However, with all of these random cancellations lately I am getting nervous.

I am all for safety, but the article says safety was never a concern. If safety is not a concern, why can't they just pull a few planes at a time instead of affecting 500 flights!?!? When is it going to end?

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/04/09/american-cancellations.html

This is all fallout from the Sothwest failure to complete ADs (Airworthiness Directives). I work at American Eagle (AA Regianal), this latest grounding effects the MD-80 aircraft (325 total). The problem is that there is confusion between the FAA and AA about how some wiring is to be tied down to the aircraft in one of the wheel wells. This is very minor but has to be done correctly to satisfy the AD. The confusion is about whether the zip ties used to tie the wiring to the wheel well is supposed to be 1" or 1.5" apart and if the locking portion of the tie is to be facing out or facing in. This affects all MD-80 aircraft so I expect other carriers to ground some planes very soon (I.E. Delta, Alaska as well as Northwest who flys DC-9 which is what the MD-80s were called before Boeing took over). So steer clear of any flights involving these aircraft types and you should be fine.

But if they have come up with this oversight on the MD-80 what other oversights have there been on other aircraft?

Hello,

My husband is a pilot for AA.. it is all of the Super 80's that are grounded right now. If you are flying out this week... check your schedule and what plane you will be flying. If this is happening with AA's Super 80's,well, I would check with whatever airline I am flying with to see if they will be doing the same thing too. . just check your flights. We get updates from the pilots union all day long, so I will update if any further information comes to us.

According to the AA Jetwire, the flights were cancelled yesterday, and they are planning on cancelling some flights today. The planes are checked/fixed and put back into service. That is the information they have so far... plus this:

American will re-accommodate customers on other American flights or on flights operated by airlines in the same market. Customers may be automatically notified of flight changes; they should also check AA.com or with their travel agents for flight status.

AA is rolling the planes right back into service as they are inspected.

I flew AA last night into JFK. AA was handling it pretty well. Reroutes were done on a lot of flights. Example: if your flights were PHX/DFW/MIA with an MD-80 sector, AA rerouted PHX/STL or ORD/then on to MIA or wherever on planes other than the MD-80. Some tickets were endorsed to other carriers (won't happen if you have cruise air tickets). And some people were just a*** and threw fits. One lady INSISTED she would not fly through ORD and get to her final destination 43 minutes late. She will be waiting until tomorrow to fly. Got pretty vocal with the agents-they just turned her off. "Do you want a refund or should we reschedule for Thursday???". It pays to keep your cool.

Don't panic-this is a one or two day thing. AA plans to have all planes back in the air by early Thursday latest.

Already being discussed here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=752672

I sure hope the planes are back in service soon. My flight to Dallas on Saturday is on a Super 80. At least the next leg to San Juan is on a 757. I'd really hate to miss my cruise because of zip-ties!!!:mad:

Already being discussed here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=752672

I know now. :rolleyes:

I originally posted on the Royal Caribbean board ........got moved to here. sorry!:o

This is all fallout from the Sothwest failure to complete ADs (Airworthiness Directives). I work at American Eagle (AA Regianal), this latest grounding effects the MD-80 aircraft (325 total). The problem is that there is confusion between the FAA and AA about how some wiring is to be tied down to the aircraft in one of the wheel wells. This is very minor but has to be done correctly to satisfy the AD. The confusion is about whether the zip ties used to tie the wiring to the wheel well is supposed to be 1" or 1.5" apart and if the locking portion of the tie is to be facing out or facing in. This affects all MD-80 aircraft so I expect other carriers to ground some planes very soon (I.E. Delta, Alaska as well as Northwest who flys DC-9 which is what the MD-80s were called before Boeing took over). So steer clear of any flights involving these aircraft types and you should be fine.

Thanks for providing this explanation. We are flying next Saturday, 4/19, on a 757. Thus far, at you indicated, all cancelations are on the MD-80 aircraft. I just hope this doesn't extend to other equipment -- trying to keep a very positive outlook on this.

Please udpate if you get any other information!

Sorry, but I'm an amateur flyer, first flight was 2 years ago and haven't been on one since. So all this flight lingo is like gibberish to me, I heard MD-80 and now I'm completely confused. Can someone explain please:)

Sorry, but I'm an amateur flyer, first flight was 2 years ago and haven't been on one since. So all this flight lingo is like gibberish to me, I heard MD-80 and now I'm completely confused. Can someone explain please:)

MD-80 (often called the Mad Dog) is a type of plane. AA has a lot of them. I was going to post a picture, but most planes look very similar to a lot of people.

If you are flying AA in the next day or two, check your reservations and find out what TYPE of plane you are flying. If it is an MD-80, you should probably call AA and find out if your flight is impacted. Otherwise, enjoy your flight.

MD-80 (often called the Mad Dog) is a type of plane. AA has a lot of them. I was going to post a picture, but most planes look very similar to a lot of people.

This reminded me of a segment that the Today Show on NBC ran this morning about this story. In the segment the showed footage of 737's & 757's. I'm no aviation expert, but the MD-80 is quite easy to distinguish with some very unique characteristics:

-the engines are mounted at the back of the fuselage, not under the wings

-the rear stabilizers are at the top of the tail, not attached to the fuselage like on 737s/757s/767s/747s/777s/airbuses

If you are flying AA in the next day or two, check your reservations and find out what TYPE of plane you are flying. If it is an MD-80, you should probably call AA and find out if your flight is impacted. Otherwise, enjoy your flight.

An easy way to tell if you are on a MD-80 is by looking at the seating chart. If it shows a 2x3 configuration in coach, you're in a MD-80.