Joe Brancetelli writes: “The crisis of cancellations continues to expand. Now Alaska Airlines says that its nine MD-80s are being inspected “to ensure precise and complete compliance with a Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive related to wire bundling in the aircraft’s wheel wells.” The airline says the issue caused three cancellations yesterday and 14 flight cancellations today.”
I spoke with Scott Habberstad at Alaska Airlines in Anchorage. He noted two facts: First, the MD-80s are not flying to/from Alaska anymore. Second, the MD-80s should be retired by this October.
That said, he noted that there have been 19 flight cancellations to date. It’s hard to predict how long this inspection process will take. The take-home message is this: double-check flight status before you leave for the airport. If one of your flights is on an MD-80, ask the airline to change it.
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