Flight delays continue

Sunday, April 13, 2008 | 2:07 a.m.

American Airlines’ cancellation of at least 3,000 flights in the past week could very well spread to other airlines as Federal Aviation Administration inspectors continue to audit air carriers for compliance with safety regulations.

American Airlines canceled the flights and grounded planes to complete inspections of wiring harnesses that did not meet FAA standards. It is the same issue that prompted Midwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines to ground flights last week, the Associated Press reports.

FAA inspectors have stepped up their efforts after it was revealed last month that they had been allowing Southwest Airlines to ignore federal directives regarding airworthiness. Southwest subsequently grounded 44 planes for maintenance checks.

The most recent spate of flight cancellations stranded about 100,000 passengers. Critics of the FAA’s action say the agency is pushing for strict compliance to avoid more public embarrassment.

FAA spokeswoman Lynn Tierney told the AP that, while the agency is “aware and sympathetic” that passengers have been significantly inconvenienced, the agency’s “role is clear” and that regulators “have to enforce the regulations.”

In terms of responsibility, both the FAA and the airlines are to blame for the cancellations and delays that have plagued the nation’s air travelers this past month.

The FAA should never have become so cozy with air carriers that inspectors looked the other way as the carriers missed scheduled maintenance and inspections.

And if the airlines had followed scheduled maintenance procedures and safety regulations to the letter, there likely would be no cause for these audits to result in the grounding of aircraft.

Unfortunately, thousands of passengers will remain caught in the middle now that the FAA — and the airline industry it regulates — have finally decided to do their jobs.