April 11, 2008
Dear X,
As one of our most valued customers, please accept my apology on behalf
of American Airlines(R) to you, your family and your fellow
AAdvantage(R) customers for disrupting so many peoples' lives with the recent
flight cancellations related to the inspection of our MD-80 aircraft
fleet.
As you can imagine, American's decision to cancel thousands of flights
this week was difficult, and it undoubtedly created concern among our
best customers - even those who had no travel plans during the period.
If in your travels you were among the many who have been personally
affected, I sincerely regret the inconvenience you have experienced. Our
employees will continue to work around the clock to accommodate all who
still need to reach their desired destinations. We anticipate returning
to a full schedule by Monday.
While the media reports have documented the reasons why American took
this action and the steps we're taking to re-accommodate and compensate
affected customers, I've also attached an explanation of the events for
your understanding. It's a bit complex, but at the end of it all,
please know this:
First, your safety and the safety of our employees remains our number
one priority.
Second, we will learn from this experience and we will get better.
Finally, we wholeheartedly appreciate your loyalty to American
Airlines, and we remain committed to earning your business each and every day.
Respectfully,
Dan Garton
Executive Vice President
Marketing
P.S. You may have already contacted us via AA.com(R) or by writing
directly to Customer Relations. Let me reassure you that we will respond
directly to your contact just as quickly as practical.
****************************************
American Airlines MD-80 Fleet Inspections
Background: In 2004, American Airlines was the lead airline working
with Boeing to develop a Service Bulletin to correct wiring exposure and
chafing in the MD-80 auxiliary hydraulic pump wire bundle. The concern
was that exposure and chafing could cause fire in the wheel well. An
Airworthiness Directive (AD) was issued in September 2006, giving MD-80
operators, including American, 18 months to address this issue. American
completed the Service Bulletin in November 2006, followed by
adjustments deemed necessary by American's structural engineers to comply with
the AD well ahead of a March 2008 deadline.
In recent weeks the Federal Aviation Administration significantly
increased its emphasis on monitoring the adherence to Airworthiness
Directives that apply to various U.S. airlines. With respect to American
Airlines' MD-80 fleet, we had a detailed issue that we believed had to be
addressed immediately to remain compliant with the FAA; if found in
non-compliance, we would have been instructed to stop flying our airplanes.
What is the specific nature of the issue?
The issue surrounds questions raised by the FAA about the way American
implemented the Engineering Change Order (ECO) addressing the MD-80
auxiliary pump wiring Airworthiness Directive (AD). American fixed the
item well within the specified AD timeframe. The work being done now
centers on a need to change the way in which American complied with the AD
regarding such items as the spacing of the ties on the wiring bundles
and the direction of the retention clips and lacing cords. We are highly
confident that this is not a safety of flight issue because the wire
bundle is secure. It is a matter of how the work was done, not whether
aircraft were protected from the threat of wire exposure and chafing that
could cause fire.
Why ground the entire MD-80 fleet?
It became clear based on the number of questions the FAA raised that
there would be a high percentage of aircraft that would not be found to
be in full compliance of the Airworthiness Directive. Working with the
FAA we were unable to find an alternative solution to regaining
compliance - for example, a multi-day period to rectify the issues - so we had
no choice but to ground the aircraft. While it has been a major
disruption to AA's operation, everyone recognizes the need to ensure that the
MD-80 fleet is in complete compliance and is working to restore the
MD-80s back to service as quickly as possible.
Who is completing the work and why is it taking longer than the
previous MD-80 inspections?
There are three levels of American employees accomplishing the work.
American has assigned a team of employees - aviation maintenance
technicians, quality assurance inspectors, and engineers - to inspect the
aircraft and ensure full technical compliance, as well as to make any
additional adjustments. As our aircraft return to service, the FAA is
inspecting those aircraft to ensure compliance.
What is the airline doing for customers?
We are doing everything possible to take care of our customers as
expeditiously as possible while facing the fact that our resources have been
stretched to their limits. We are extremely sorry for the
inconvenience and know that this kind of interruption of travel plans is
unacceptable. While customers are dislocated we are providing meals, hotels and
ground transportation; for those stranded overnight, we will offer
vouchers for future travel on American Airlines. Customers who were
inconvenienced with overnight stays can go to AA.com where a link will guide
them to instructions on how to receive compensation.
Visit:
Aircraft Inspections Affect Some AA Travel
What is the company doing to make sure it doesn't happen again?
American plans to contract with an independent third party to review
American's compliance processes. This work will help ensure that all
procedures strictly adhere to the technical elements of every directive so
American can avoid this type of schedule disruption in the future.
Dear X,
As one of our most valued customers, please accept my apology on behalf
of American Airlines(R) to you, your family and your fellow
AAdvantage(R) customers for disrupting so many peoples' lives with the recent
flight cancellations related to the inspection of our MD-80 aircraft
fleet.
As you can imagine, American's decision to cancel thousands of flights
this week was difficult, and it undoubtedly created concern among our
best customers - even those who had no travel plans during the period.
If in your travels you were among the many who have been personally
affected, I sincerely regret the inconvenience you have experienced. Our
employees will continue to work around the clock to accommodate all who
still need to reach their desired destinations. We anticipate returning
to a full schedule by Monday.
While the media reports have documented the reasons why American took
this action and the steps we're taking to re-accommodate and compensate
affected customers, I've also attached an explanation of the events for
your understanding. It's a bit complex, but at the end of it all,
please know this:
First, your safety and the safety of our employees remains our number
one priority.
Second, we will learn from this experience and we will get better.
Finally, we wholeheartedly appreciate your loyalty to American
Airlines, and we remain committed to earning your business each and every day.
Respectfully,
Dan Garton
Executive Vice President
Marketing
P.S. You may have already contacted us via AA.com(R) or by writing
directly to Customer Relations. Let me reassure you that we will respond
directly to your contact just as quickly as practical.
****************************************
American Airlines MD-80 Fleet Inspections
Background: In 2004, American Airlines was the lead airline working
with Boeing to develop a Service Bulletin to correct wiring exposure and
chafing in the MD-80 auxiliary hydraulic pump wire bundle. The concern
was that exposure and chafing could cause fire in the wheel well. An
Airworthiness Directive (AD) was issued in September 2006, giving MD-80
operators, including American, 18 months to address this issue. American
completed the Service Bulletin in November 2006, followed by
adjustments deemed necessary by American's structural engineers to comply with
the AD well ahead of a March 2008 deadline.
In recent weeks the Federal Aviation Administration significantly
increased its emphasis on monitoring the adherence to Airworthiness
Directives that apply to various U.S. airlines. With respect to American
Airlines' MD-80 fleet, we had a detailed issue that we believed had to be
addressed immediately to remain compliant with the FAA; if found in
non-compliance, we would have been instructed to stop flying our airplanes.
What is the specific nature of the issue?
The issue surrounds questions raised by the FAA about the way American
implemented the Engineering Change Order (ECO) addressing the MD-80
auxiliary pump wiring Airworthiness Directive (AD). American fixed the
item well within the specified AD timeframe. The work being done now
centers on a need to change the way in which American complied with the AD
regarding such items as the spacing of the ties on the wiring bundles
and the direction of the retention clips and lacing cords. We are highly
confident that this is not a safety of flight issue because the wire
bundle is secure. It is a matter of how the work was done, not whether
aircraft were protected from the threat of wire exposure and chafing that
could cause fire.
Why ground the entire MD-80 fleet?
It became clear based on the number of questions the FAA raised that
there would be a high percentage of aircraft that would not be found to
be in full compliance of the Airworthiness Directive. Working with the
FAA we were unable to find an alternative solution to regaining
compliance - for example, a multi-day period to rectify the issues - so we had
no choice but to ground the aircraft. While it has been a major
disruption to AA's operation, everyone recognizes the need to ensure that the
MD-80 fleet is in complete compliance and is working to restore the
MD-80s back to service as quickly as possible.
Who is completing the work and why is it taking longer than the
previous MD-80 inspections?
There are three levels of American employees accomplishing the work.
American has assigned a team of employees - aviation maintenance
technicians, quality assurance inspectors, and engineers - to inspect the
aircraft and ensure full technical compliance, as well as to make any
additional adjustments. As our aircraft return to service, the FAA is
inspecting those aircraft to ensure compliance.
What is the airline doing for customers?
We are doing everything possible to take care of our customers as
expeditiously as possible while facing the fact that our resources have been
stretched to their limits. We are extremely sorry for the
inconvenience and know that this kind of interruption of travel plans is
unacceptable. While customers are dislocated we are providing meals, hotels and
ground transportation; for those stranded overnight, we will offer
vouchers for future travel on American Airlines. Customers who were
inconvenienced with overnight stays can go to AA.com where a link will guide
them to instructions on how to receive compensation.
Visit:
Aircraft Inspections Affect Some AA Travel
What is the company doing to make sure it doesn't happen again?
American plans to contract with an independent third party to review
American's compliance processes. This work will help ensure that all
procedures strictly adhere to the technical elements of every directive so
American can avoid this type of schedule disruption in the future.
