Not if they were supposed to have been performed three 100-hour checks ago. AA made their bed, and their passengers are now forced to lie in it. Postponing overdue maintenance checks under the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness isn't the answer, IMO.
They're being forced to lie in it by a band of petty tyrants with Napoleon issues at the FAA.
Yes and no. Again, we have to look at the details, here (the devil's always in the details). The point of the requirement was to prevent wire chafing around the landing gear mechanisms. Cable ties or no cable ties, if there is constant rubbing of any component against a wiring bundle, over time, you will get chafing and wear.
According to the article, the inspections showed that with/without the new requirement, chafing was occuring. To avoid the potential for chafing, the wiring bundles would have to be re-routed away from the source of the chafing (i.e. the landing gear mechanism); simply adding cable ties every inch and orienting cable clamps on't do anything to prevent chafing/wear if the bundle is not removed from the source of the chafing. To do that would require all new wiring bundles to be installed that would take the A/C out of service for a longer period of time because, in most cases, wire splices are not permitted by the FAA. Wire bundles in aircraft tend to have almost zero extra length and tend to comply with very strict length requirements.
So, again, this is all for show and the FAA is just flexing its muscles to prove that it can. But, here's a question for you - How many politicians or FAA officials do you think were inconvenienced by this? My bet is NONE.