United Airlines Cancels Flights for Safety Inspections

On April 2, 2008, United – following Southwest, American, and Delta – became the fourth carrier within one month to cancel flights for inspections after it admitted to the FAA that it had failed to completely inspect the fire suppression system on its Boeing 777 aircraft. United canceled 38 flights and delayed dozens of others to carry out inspections on 52 of its 777s, stranding thousands of passengers, especially those on its international routes .

This string of cancellations and inspections came after two FAA inspectors blew the whistle on FAA’s lack of oversight and brought to light the cozy relationship between FAA and corporate airlines. Subsequently, the FAA placed a $10.2 million fine on Southwest Airlines for flying jets with cracks in the engines that did not receive proper inspections.

FAA inspectors testified at a congressional hearing in April, revealing that Southwest is not the only airline getting special treatment from the FAA. For instance, an inspector found in 2003 that more than 4,000 of Continental’s aircraft life vests were improperly overhauled, but the FAA allowed the airline to operate. Another inspection found in March 2007 that United kept its Passenger Emergency Assist System batteries well beyond their lifespan. The batteries provide the electric charge to open doors and the evacuation slides during emergencies. FAA didn’t do anything and allowed United to continue to fly its 777s.

United, American, and Northwest also have the oldest fleets of US airlines, according to industry experts . What that means is United’s maintenance cost will go up, as older fleets require more repairs. This comes amid safety concerns raised by passengers and employees about United’s outsourcing of maintenance to outside contractors in an effort to cut cost. One of the problems with using foreign maintenance contractors, according to the Business Travel Coalition, which represents travel professionals at hundreds of companies, is the lack of standards and FAA requirements that domestic U.S. facilities have to follow. According to a BTC survey in April 2008, 13% of respondents skipped a recent flight because of concerns over aircraft safety.

photo credit: Cubbie_n_Vegas