More canceled flights from American and Delta

American Airlines canceled flights yesterday to inspect its fleet of MD-80 aircraft’s wiring bundles to make sure they were safe, now American has announced more cancellations while they carry out more tests and Delta Air Lines has followed suit. Delta said it would cancel about 275 of its scheduled flights, which accounts for 3 percent of its schedule.

Michael Derchin is an FTN Midwest Securities analyst and he commented, “Safety is the number one item for any airline, so they want to make sure people understand they’re taking all the necessary steps. It’s worth it to them to take these planes out quickly and get any issues resolved quickly.”

Neither airline wished to comment on how much money they would lose by carrying out these tests, but analysts say that whatever the amount, it won’t be significant compared to the losses from high fuel prices. Soleil Securities airline analyst James Higgins says, “I don’t think it’s a huge deal. In the scheme of things, with oil doing what it’s been doing, I don’t think it will be meaningful.”