Archive for April 9th, 2008

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.

By day, Jim Lavrakas is a mild-mannered photographer at Alaska’s Good Morning Newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News. But after work, Jim trades his camera bag for his King Salmon rod and he heads downtown to the “Big Muddy”, aka “Ship Creek”. He is Alaska’s Urban Angler! Those of you who live in Anchorage know our downtown creek serves up excellent fishing for most of the summer. Jim will take anglers on a 3-hour guided sessions on Anchorage’s Ship Creek. Fish the muddy bowels of the most urban salmon fishery in the U.S. Jim will teach you the techniques for successful salmon fishing that you can use anywhere in Alaska, from a “combat fishing” situation to a pristine wilderness experience. $125 per person, 2 clients at a time, twice daily. Oh, Jim won the Ship Creek King Salmon derby a few years back–so he knows what he’s talking about. Check out the picture…which, of course, is worth a thousand words. HA!

American Airlines has cancelled more than 850 flights because of additional inspections on its fleet of MD-80s.

According to American Airlines, “These inspections are to ensure precise and complete compliance with the FAA’s directive related to wiring in the aircraft’s wheel wells.”

As is often the case with massive disruptions in service (half of American’s fleet is comprised of the MD-80s), this action affects more than just the MD-80 routes–and more than American Airlines.

If you’re traveling to Dallas or Chicago, your flights may be delayed, changed or disrupted–even if you’re not on American. It’s just best to reconfirm and be prepared to deal with last-minute changes as a result. 

The fallout of this last-minute move by American could last as long as a week while crews and aircraft are back in place.

Keep in mind that Alaska Airlines and American Airlines have code-share agreements on many routes. It’s worthwhile to check your itinerary carefully before you head to the airport!