If you're booked on United Airlines, especially on a flight that involves one of the airline's Boeing 777 aircraft, be sure to check with the carrier regarding the status of your flight. United Airlines grounded 11% of its fleet and cancelled 31 flights on Wednesday, April 2, 2008.
The groundings effected Boeing 777s while part of a cargo fire suppression system were checked.
United Airlines said 52 777s would be inspected over the next two days. Just over a dozen inspections have already occurred, and those aircraft returned to service by Wednesday morning.
The jumbo jets are used mainly on international, long-haul routes and delays or cancellations occurred in Japan and Hawaii this morning. Over 30, out of 84 777 flights have been cancelled so far.
A review of maintenance records showed a test on one part of a fire suppression system hadn't been performed. The airline alerted authorities.
Last week American Airlines and Delta Airlines canceled hundreds of flights for re-inspection of over 480 MD-80 aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been checking maintenance records on U.S. airlines after concerns about missed safety inspections at Southwest Airlines were brought to the FAA's attention. A resulting Congressional hearing will occur this Thursday, April 3, 2008. Sources advise the hearing will focus on overall FAA issues, and not just on the Southwest Airlines' issues.
