RSS
April 9, 2008
American Airlines: Nothing Special in the Air
What the hell is up with air travel these days?
Another day, another 850 flights canceled because government officials have failed us yet again. Yes, we blame the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA[IIL]). And so does American Airlines:
American is cancelling several hundred flights starting on April 8 to conduct additional inspections of its MD-80 fleet. These inspections are to ensure precise and complete compliance with the FAA's directive related to wiring in the aircraft's wheel wells... -- AA.com
Because the FAA neglected to effectively order timely inspections, thousands of passenger flights have been grounded in the past couple weeks -- at least 1,350 American Airlines flights in the past two days alone. Other airlines have also ceased operations on a moments notice recently -- no Bear Stearns-style federal bailouts here.
How is it that the U.S. government can spend hundreds of billions of dollars exploring space (albeit in 30 year-old vehicles that we've grown to expect will explode upon each takeoff/reentry) but can't get regular citizens into the air to fly to their own weddings?
Think driving is an alternative? Not so much, with Oil prices poised to break through $110/barrel today, with the government sucking more and more money from our deficit-ridden pockets and into the trillion dollar war
"Fuel is hurting people," the president said this week, before blessing away millions of "relief" dollars to small businesses to inspire job growth further automate their sausage machines and layoff more employees.
Are we pissed off yet? 850 American flights grounded today. Are you?
Photo by The Number 27 via flickr.
| 
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
[ report this ]
Pissed off can't describe what I feel. Angry to the point of being dumbfounded with what the federal/local government is doing now a days.
[ report this ]
my understanding was that american conducted the original inspections incorrectly and had to reperform all the md80 inspections to the FAA code.
i'll bet you don't make those moronic space funding comments when you are strapping on your nifty velcro sneakers - you simply forget the thank goodness for NASA and all their contributions to society.
[ report this ]
@nicksm: I'm not absolving American from fault here -- it just seems we shouldn't be so incredibly inconvenienced (without warning) in the name of government regulation.
The FAA should be working everyday to ensure that planes fly safely. They can inspect a few MD-50s each day as opposed to taking each and every one out of operation immediately. This does nothing but piss off airline passengers -- it almost seems as if it's a kind of revolt by the airlines themselves against the fines suddenly threatened by the FAA.
I mean, when the government determines that a certain vehicle must be recalled because of some "bundling of wires in the wheel well," nobody is FORCED to not drive said vehicle. (Not to mention, the automaker isn't required to do anything proactively).
And yes, velcro will save the world, not duct tape, contrary to popular belief.
[ report this ]
if they didn't ground these airplanes and still allowed them to be flown pending inspection, and one of those airplanes happens to crash, can you imagine the liability that both american airlines and the FAA would be subject to? that's why they have to take all the planes out of operation immediately.
[ report this ]
Kind of like the liability that the Army Corps of Engineers "faced" for not maintaining the NOLA levee system to be able to withstand a level 2 or 3 hurricane?
The corrupt FAA was NOT doing it's job, which is why this started in the first place. They let Southwest go who-knows-how-long without proper inspections. In March, when someone blew the whistle on the fact that 46 Southwest planes should not have been flying last year, the FAA started covering its ass. Turns out FAA investigator Bobby Boutris received a death threat after airing his concern about the cozy FAA-Southwest relationship.
Inspections are expected to go through the end of June but we can only hope that the FAA continues to inspect planes on a regular schedule and not all-at-once.