American Airlines has canceled all its outbound flights from Tucson International Airport today, according to the flight-status board at airtucson.com.
Most inbound American flights also are canceled, the flight tracker says, although it lists two arrivals from Dallas-Fort Worth as on time: flight 823, due to arrive at 5:45 P.M. and flight 383, due to arrive at 8:10 p.m. On Wednesday, those flights were listed as on time before later being canceled.
In total, American has canceled at least a dozen flights into or out of Tucson today, after canceling all its Tucson flights on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the ordeal left passengers waiting in line at Tucson International Airport for ticket agents, who scrambled to re-book their flights on other airlines.
One Tucson passenger, Cheyene Adams, said she was "inconvenienced" when American axed her flight to Nashville, Tenn. Although she planned to arrive about 6 p.m. on her original itinerary, her new flight on a different carrier wouldn't arrive until midnight — forcing her to miss work.
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"I'll never fly with them again," Adams said, although she conceded the ordeal could have been worse.
Other travelers, however, were not as lucky. American tried to book flights to Charlotte, N.C., for siblings Patrick and Alara Shannon on US Airways, but a reservations glitch didn't transfer the flight.
"They should have given us more advanced warning," said Alara Shannon, 21, with her 8-month-old daughter at her side. The two said they and their mother would have to stay in Tucson another night.
AMR Corp.'s American Airlines first said early Wednesday that it canceled flights so it could further examine the safety issues on its Boeing Co. MD-80 aircraft, which followed an FAA review. Federal inspectors found problems with wiring work that was done two weeks ago, but the airline says safety was never jeopardized.
The American ordeal represented the latest in a series of cancellations. Southwest Airlines recently grounded some of its planes after the FAA last month said it would fine Southwest $10.2 million for safety violations on 46 aircraft. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have also had to cancel flights recently to perform safety inspections.
Wednesday's American upheaval also seemed to inconvenience flight crews in Tucson. A handful of pilots and flight attendants milled about near the American Airlines gate Wednesday morning, while an MD-80 series aircraft in the distance was being pushed back on the ramp for parking.
A TIA spokeswoman said she did not know if aircraft would be inspected here, and an American Airlines spokesman did not return the Star's phone calls seeking comment.
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport spokeswoman Claire Simeone said American expects half of its Phoenix flights to be running today, and that American canceled 13 departures and 14 arrivals in Phoenix on Wednes-day. TIA officials were unsure how many flights would be affected today.
American is among Tucson's largest carriers, with an average of 10 total daily flights to Dallas-Fort Worth and Chicago O'Hare.
Bob McAdoo, an airline analyst, said passengers might soon forget the debacle, especially since several other major airlines have canceled flights recently. But he said passengers who missed big events like weddings might avoid American again.
An estimated 110,000 travelers were left stranded nationwide, and shares of parent company AMR fell the most in a month in New York trading as the airline parked its 300 MD-80 jets for another review of their compliance with the federal safety order. American said it would have "significant" costs from the groundings.
AMR shares tumbled $1.15, or 11 percent, to close at $9.17 in New York Stock Exchange trading. It was the biggest drop since March 12, and brought the shares' decline over the past year to 72 percent.
But there were also costs to passengers' time. Travelers Dennis Hoffman and Karen Engen waited near the ticketing area at TIA for a new flight on Frontier Airlines to Madison, Wis.
"We're 11 hours behind schedule," said Hoffman, who was in Tucson on business travel.
Still, he said, "Things happen. Sometimes, you have to grin and bear it."
Other carriers operating similar aircraft also left passengers scrambling for alternatives as they too canceled flights to inspect the wire bundles at the heart of a renewed safety crackdown by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Alaska Airlines canceled 11 more flights early Thursday as it continued to inspect its nine MD-80 jets. Spokeswoman Caroline Boren in Seattle said Thursday’s cancellations follow 28 Wednesday and three on Tuesday.
The airline was working to accommodate all affected passengers, she said. Midwest Airlines canceled at least 10 flights Thursday after it grounded all of its 13 MD-80 planes to inspect the same issue affecting American’s aircraft.
Midwest spokesman Mike Brophy said federal regulators cleared the planes to fly, but executives at the airline decided the aircraft should be re-inspected by Midwest personnel.
Delta Air Lines was likely to cancel “a handful of flights” Thursday, but was expecting “minimal cancellations and minimal customer impact,” spokeswoman Betsy Talton said. The carrier operates 117 MD-80 series planes.
Check AzStarBiz.com throughout the day for updates.
Did You Know
Tucson International Airport served more than 4.4 million passengers in 2007. The airport, the first municipally owned in the U.S., opened in 1919 at what is now the Tucson Rodeo Grounds.
SOURCE: Tucson Airport Authority