AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Talk Belize Travel AA FLIGHTS MD80

What's the problem with the MD80, other than that it's fundamentally a very old design (it was earlier called the DC9). Are they becoming non-airworthy?

Something about the wiring clips on the wiring harness in the wheel wells being a potential sparking/fire hazard. they all have to be checked and/or replaced. Nothing to do with the airworthiness of the basic design.

AA may have taken a big hit but they are one of the top 3 domestic carriers and have a LOT of money in the bank so this will sting but not like it would for some other carriers. ...Frontier next one declaring bankruptcy (but still honoring all bought tickets).

Usually this sort of thing is dealt with quietly and the public never get to know. Witness the problem with 747 fuel tanks, which probably most people here have never heard of (and I only know about because a friend is in the UK equivalent of the NTSB). How come this has been allowed to cause so much disruption?

Although the MD80 is very old (and very fuel-inefficient) it's always had a good name amongst pilots as a well designed and built aircraft.

I contacted American Airlines in Belieze City today and they changed our return flights to the 18th from the 17th at no cost to us and they were extremly pleasant about it. However am sure if I had to call the 800 number would never have got anyone on the phone, so I do however applaud their handling of my situation.

The wiring bundle was the subject of an advisory from the FAA. American had already done the fix. However, follow-up inspection by the FAA revealed that the ties used for the first fix, did not exactly match the FAA instructions and so they all have to be re-done. Probably a tempest in a teapot, created by bureaucracy, power flexing, and attempts to improve public perception of FAA.

Frontier gets a double whammy. Their credit card carrier has decided to do larger hold-backs. This is to protect the card company and presumably the passengers if Frontier goes belly-up and doesn't transport paid customers. However, while already cash-strapped, the hold back causes further cash flow problems. Frontier has said that regardless, they can deal with it.

Probably the cable ties were the wrong colour. Believe it or not, I know of a house in England that was rewired just as the legal colour coding of electrical cables was changing (more Brussels bureaucracy) and the builder didn't get the relevant inspector along quickly enough to certify the job. Has to be done before it can be connected to the electricity supply. Turned out there was a transitional period when either system of cable colours could be used, but by the time the inspector came that had expired. They were ordered to tear out all the new wiring and replace it with the new colours, which obviously involved breaking down wall plaster etc. A major job. The builder and owner argued long about it but to no avail - no rework, no connection to power.

Bureaucracy - where would we be without it?

Gad, that's got to be worth a lawsuit! I can't believe that if that set of circumstances were set before a judge that the homeowner and builder wouldn't prevail.

Any lawyers here care to wade in on this?

I'm a lawyer and I truly believe that I should be tarred and feathered. Sometime later . . . .