Source: Los Angeles Times -- Read Full Story

Frustrations and worries mounted Tuesday at U.S. airports after American Airlines said it was canceling as many as 500 flights for another round of maintenance checks. More flight delays are expected today. Cancellations by the world's largest airline were the biggest yet in a rash of maintenance- related disruptions for passengers over the last month that has been accompanied by fare hikes, increasingly crowded planes, higher fuel surcharges and airline shutdowns. An estimated 54,000 travelers had their plans disrupted Tuesday. Since late last month, American has canceled almost 1,000 flights to inspect the wiring bundles in its MD-80 fleet. The airline operates 300 MD-80s, with an average age of 18 years. American decided to re- inspect its fleet after the Federal Aviation Administration raised concerns about an inspection last month. The airline said it was rechecking the spacing of the ties on the wiring bundles and the direction in which the retention clips and cords were facing.