What to do if your American MD-80 flight is canceled

Apologizing for “the inconvenience created by the cancellation of a portion of American Airlines’ flights which started on April 8,” the airline has posted instructions on its website for passengers stranded by the cancellation of 1,000 flights today.

For “cities served by MD-80 aircraft” and for travel today through Friday and tickets issued “no later than April 8,” American says you may change your reservation to travel “no later than April 17.”

For help, it says, domestic passengers should call reservations at (800) 433-7300. International passengers should find the appropriate number at the worldwide reservations numbers page. The cancellations occurred after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered that the MD-80 wheels wells be reinspected.

The Los Angeles Times reported today that it was unclear why the FAA ordered the reinspection.

The MD-80, a successor to the DC-9, has had its share of problems. In 2004, American found that 47 of its 300 MD-80s had emergency evacuation slides that would have failed to inflate.

The quality of cabin air in the MD-80 also has been the source of litigtation. In 1999, flight attendants filed suit against Alaska Airlines, alleging that fumes from its fleet of MD-80s jeopardized their health. Alaska paid out $750,000, but a jury found that Boeing and parts manufacturer Honeywell were not responsible for the illness.

–Catherine Hamm, Los Angeles Times Travel Editor

[Photo: Travelers wait at the American Airlines ticket counter Wednesday at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Irving, Texas. Rick Gershon/Getty Images]

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 3:03 pm by Catharine Hamm and is filed under Angry Traveler, Business Travel, Frequent Flier, Los Angeles, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.