资料：American Airlines CEO takes blame for maintenance errors, disrupted flights

Friday, April 11,2008

By TERRY MAXON and DAVE MICHAELS/The Dallas Morning News

American Airlines chairman and chief executive officer Gerard Arpey said Thursday that he is taking “personal responsibility” for the bad maintenance that has forced the carrier to cancel some 3,000 flights this week for aircraft inspections.

MD-80s sat on the sidelines at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Thursday, when American Airlines canceled more than 930 flights as inspections continued. The Fort Worth-based carrier has canceled 570 flights scheduled today.

“I run the company.” Mr.Arpey told reporters at an afternoon news conference.” so if there’s any blame to be had, it is my fault, and I take full responsibility for this.”

American canceled more than 930 flights Thursday as its mechanics, quality assurance inspectors and engineers worked to ensure that the carrier’s fleet of 300 MD-80 jets would meet Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) regulations.

The Fort Worth-based carrier canceled 570 flights for today as well, and expects the disruptions to continue into the weekend, although an airline spokesman said Saturday’s cancellations should be fewer than today’s.

On Tuesday, American grounded its fleet of aging MD-80s,which have an average age of more than 18 years and include some past their 25th birthday, to redo checks of the wiring harnesses in the right wheel well of the jets-only two weeks after it had performed the same inspections.

The FAA has said in recent days that its enforcement hasn’t changed or become stricter. But Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison said airlines have told her they’ve noticed difference.

“The standard is now being very, very rigidly enforced and leeway is being taken away.”Ms,Hutchison said.“I can’t say if it’s food or bad. But I know that it’s changed.”

Today, the U.S. has five to eight aviation fatalities per 100 million people who fly each year; during the mid-1990s,it was about 45 deaths per 100 million people flown.

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