[cardinal4]

This is going to get worse before it gets better...

[Bahbah]

What an awful mess. I am so glad I have no flights planned.

[lainie]

xref from another thread. Drudge has these headlines:

AIRLINE MISERY MAY CONTINUE THROUGH JUNE; NEW ROUND OF INSPECTIONS
Expects 900 Cancellations Thursday
100,000+ passengers affected
Growing disarray

What in the blue hell is going on with AA?

[cmsgop]

Hey Bro, I know what you do for a living, so tell me if I'm wrong, the MD -80 is getting on in age, they do have issues, Jackscrews and all that, this is kind of weird, are they trying to save cash on the rising cost of Jet Fuel in the name of safety?? This whole thing makes no sense to me.

[cmsgop]

Hey Bro, I know what you do for a living, so tell me if I'm wrong, the MD -80 is getting on in age, they do have issues, Jackscrews and all that, this is kind of weird, are they trying to save cash on the rising cost of Jet Fuel in the name of safety?? This whole thing makes no sense to me.

[abovethefray]

I wonder if there isn’t another reason for all these groundings? Something from the intelligence pipeline done this way as to not cause alarm.

[ZOOKER]

This is going to get worse before it gets better...

I suspect you are right.

The airlines are feeling the squeeze right now. Jet fuel is more expensive than ever, and I doubt if the MD-80 is very efficient compared to other, newer aircraft. I know they are taking a hit in the press, but I suspect the airlines may be relieved to cancel some of their less lucrative flights. They save a bundle if they can merge two half-full flights into one, and if they can blame the FAA, it takes some of the PR sting out of the situation.

Seems strange that a $1000 fix could mean mothballing a multi-million dollar plane, but it's starting to shape up that way.

I have to feel sorry for Boeing, too, because they appear to have inherited another lemon. They didn't design or build these planes, but they bought the company that did, and now it's another black eye for their safety record.

[buck jarret]

I have been shorting airline stocks for years. It has been a good strategy.