American Airlines cancels 1000 flights today

I am impressed with how many MD-80s American still flys. Considering their age and costs of maintenance you would think they would have gotten rid of more of them...

Yes, I work at SFO and lots of AA flights are cancelled. They are giving people free drinks and cookies, though. Poor guys.
Makes you question all the expense and hassle air travelers have to go through these days, for flights to be "safe" from foreign terrorists, and yet our own people are not living up to their obligations to make the aircraft physically safe. I don't know -- perhaps the "Traveler's Rights" movement needs to get stronger.

My first flights were during that civilized period when airlines were under Federal regulations — part of the still (just about) extant FDR policy practice. My first long-distance flight was London-Los Angeles in 1972, on a PanAm 747. I flew coach with two friends, and there was plenty of legroom; the three excellent meals, lunch, dinner and breakfast, with wines, beer, spirits, were included in the ticket. It seemed to me then and for the next ten or so years, still preceding the massive deregulation that has since been imposed on us as Citizens of this Republic, that the whole culture of excellence in engineering, science, a can-do progressive mentality, was alive and well. If we wish to restore that optimistic, future-oriented, anti-oligarchic mode of American egalitarian outlook, it were best that those practices of policy typified by the three-plus Franklin Delano Roosevelt administrations were applied, now, before it's really too late.

Yes Paul -- this country has to get back to doing things right!

Safety will always trump Service. And thank God for that! Yes, it does cause inconveniences for everyone, that is for sure. But it is far better to be safe than sorry. Better to arrive carrying a bag and not wearing one!

I have no hesitation what-so-ever to refuse unsafe work. If I see something unsafe, or potentially unsafe, I will report it immediately and it will be investigated before that Aircraft ever leaves the Gate. The safety of our Passengers and Crew is our paramount responsibility at all times.

While the Captain has ultimate authority over the Aircraft, the Incharge Flight Attendant, and the Crew for that matter, also have the right and responsibility to voice safety concerns and demand that they are investigated immediately.

While this was not the case with AA's grounding, it is still worth noting. Long gone are the days of F/A's being afraid to speak up to a Captain or anyone. We are a team at 15,000ft and 37,000ft respectively. Safety is everyone's responsibility.

That's why our motto is: "Safety at 37,000ft. Above and Beyond".

No disrespect to those who think that this is some sort of inevitable cause of deregulation but I think it's far more basic than that. Simply put, it is apparent that some FAA supervisors, for their own reason, corrupted the system in favor of certain carriers, something that could happen either with regulation or without. However, I do agree that this shows that more needs to be done rather than simply trusting the airlines to do the work. The fact that Southwest, which has never had a passenger die due to a crash of one of its aircraft, was the first to be involved says how deeply the corruption goes.

Jon:

If you think American's MD-80s are old, take a look at the number of DC-9s (The MD-80's older sister) Northwest Airlines operates.

The attitude NWA (and probably AA) has is that they own them, they will fly them until they wear out.

Rick

For Flight Attendent.

I'm not nearly as concerned with safety at 37,000 ft. above and beyond as I am when the plane gets closer to the ground. LOL.