American Airlines apologized for its flight cancellations that may have impacted 200,000 passengers over the past three days. American said it canceled more than 900 flights on Thursday as it works to complete the inspections of its MD-80 fleet. On Wednesday, American said it canceled 1,094 flights in addition to the 460 canceled on Tuesday.
“We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused our customers,” said Gerard Arpey, chairman and CEO of American Airlines. “American will do whatever it takes to assist those affected by these flight changes and our employees are working hard to ensure that we remain their choice for air travel. This includes compensating those inconvenienced customers who stayed overnight in a location away from their final destination.”
Customers who were scheduled on a flight that was canceled may request a full refund or apply the value of their ticket toward future travel on American Airlines. Additionally, customers scheduled to travel on any MD-80 flight April 8-11, even if their flight has not been canceled may rebook without a change fee to any American flight with availability in the same cabin as long as their travel begins by April 17, American said.
Customers who were inconvenienced with overnight stays should go to AA.com where a link has been established to request information about compensation.
In an update, American said as of Wednesday afternoon 179 MD-80 aircraft were completely inspected, 60 of the 179 MD-80’s were returned to service, 119 of the 179 MD-80’s were still undergoing work and 121 MD-80’s remain to be inspected.
These inspections were conducted to ensure compliance with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directive related to the bundling of wires in the wheel well of the MD-80 aircraft, American said.
“We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused our customers,” said Gerard Arpey, chairman and CEO of American Airlines. “American will do whatever it takes to assist those affected by these flight changes and our employees are working hard to ensure that we remain their choice for air travel. This includes compensating those inconvenienced customers who stayed overnight in a location away from their final destination.”
Customers who were scheduled on a flight that was canceled may request a full refund or apply the value of their ticket toward future travel on American Airlines. Additionally, customers scheduled to travel on any MD-80 flight April 8-11, even if their flight has not been canceled may rebook without a change fee to any American flight with availability in the same cabin as long as their travel begins by April 17, American said.
Customers who were inconvenienced with overnight stays should go to AA.com where a link has been established to request information about compensation.
In an update, American said as of Wednesday afternoon 179 MD-80 aircraft were completely inspected, 60 of the 179 MD-80’s were returned to service, 119 of the 179 MD-80’s were still undergoing work and 121 MD-80’s remain to be inspected.
These inspections were conducted to ensure compliance with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directive related to the bundling of wires in the wheel well of the MD-80 aircraft, American said.