Possible "bad wiring" grounds 900 American planes?

[kentuck]

Do you really believe American would ground 900 planes just to check the wiring?? I think there is another reason we are not being told. I think they are losing a lot of money and they can stop the hemorrhaging by grounding about half of their planes. In any event, I beleive the bottom line is money, not bad wiring?

(edited for correction)

[Bluebear]

1. (American)

[kentuck]

2. Thanks.

Corrected. I don't know why I thought it was United?

[Lance_Boyle]

3. FAA grounded them, not American.

And it's not bad wiring, it's a ridiculous niggling insistence on strict adherence to the letter of the regulations. There is a bundle of wires in each wheel well. That bundle is wrapped, and then tied together. The regs say tied together every one inch. Some of the MD-80s were found the have the bundles tied off at (gasp!) 1.25 inches, or 1.5 inches instead of 1. Technically, the bundles were improperly maintained. In practice, it's a distinction without any difference. FAA is choking American. My theory is that someone with the authority to make FAA move on this issue had previously shorted American Airlines stock, and is now making a killing.

[Beetwasher]

4. Would They Save Money Or Lose Money?

My inclination is this would lead to big losses for them due to refunds, rescheduling and compensations for inconvenienced passengers.

[rurallib]

5. Mother Jones had a long investigative report on the state of

airplane maintenance in GW's America. Short version is that the FAA,which used to check all records thoroughly, does little checking anymore. And the airlines have 3rd, 4th and 5th partied out the actual work. In some cases the guy turning the wrench is actually making @ $8 an hour.
I am so happy I no longer need to fly.

[BlueCollar]

6. There aren't a total of 900 planes in the AA fleet..n/t

[coriolis]

7. 900 flight segments, not airplanes.

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