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Apr-17-2008Steep Loss at American Airlines Illustrates Industry's Woes(topic overview)
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Trans States Airlines will have to cancel at least 15 more departure flights Thursday as it inspects and repairs some of its fleet. The Bridgeton-based airline, which operates regional flights for American and United airlines out of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, also scuttled 33 departures Tuesday and Wednesday after it found some of its planes may be out of compliance with federal air maintenance guidelines. It grounded 24 of its 50 ERJ-145 planes for maintenance Tuesday night and had 12 back in the air Wednesday morning. It had hoped to have the others fixed late Wednesday, but they turned out to be "a little more complex," said spokesman Bill Mishk. The airline now hopes to have them back in service by Thursday night. An internal audit this week found that electrical equipment that controls steering on the nose wheel of some planes did not meet specifications, Mishk said. Trans States decided to ground the planes and fix them, and is working with FAA inspectors at its Lambert maintenance facility to make sure they're in compliance before flying again. [1] The flights were canceled because the airlines may not be in compliance with tougher Federal Aviation Administration inspection guidelines. Hundreds of American flights have been canceled in the last two weeks while the airline inspects wire bundles in their fleet of jets. Trans States Airlines, which operates American Connection, United Express and U.S. Airways out of Lambert, must conduct federally ordered inspections of its Embraer ERJ-145 airliners. Of the airlines 50 planes, according to a report on ksdk.com this morning, 24 must be inspected for electrical equipment which controls the steering on the nose wheel.[2] The regional carrier Trans States Airlines canceled about a dozen flights Tuesday and says as many as 40 flights faced cancellation today. The airline that operates American Connection, United Express and U.S. Airways out of Lambert Airport says it must conduct federally-mandated inspections of its planes.[3] An air carrier operating out of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport cancelled about a dozen flights Tuesday. Trans States Airlines, which operates American Connection, United Express and U.S. Airways out of the St. Louis airport, must conduct federally-mandated inspections of its planes.[4] Trans States Airlines, which operates American Connection, United Express and U.S. Airways flights out of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, canceled about a dozen flights late Tuesday to do federally-mandated inspections of its planes. The Bridgeton-based company says it does not know how many of its flights might be canceled tomorrow as it tries to inspect its Embraer ERJ-145 airliners.[5]
ST. LOUIS, April 16 (UPI) -- Trans States Airlines has grounded about half its jets to complete federally mandated inspection guidelines, the St. Louis-area regional carrier said. Trans States Airlines of Bridgeton, Mo., which operates regional service for American Connection and United Express out of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, is conducting the inspections on 24 of its 50 jets, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday.[6] UPDATED 11:45 a.m. Trans States Airlines, which operates regional jet service out of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport for American and United airlines, had to cancel 22 departure flights on Wednesday as it made inspections and repairs to some of its fleet. The Bridgeton-based company brought 24 of its fleet of 50 regional jets in for spot maintenance overnight Tuesday, after it found they may be out of compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration.[7]
More Trans State Airlines flights out of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport have been canceled today. Commuters should check with their carrier before heading to the airport, whose flight schedules show at least 15 more flight cancellations this morning.[8] The carrier averages approximately 50 departing and 50 arriving flights each day at Lambert. This new wave of cancellations comes after almost 3,300 American Airlines flights were canceled from April 8 to April 13, including almost 100 at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, due to American Airlines' inspections of its MD-80 planes and the bundling of wires in the aircraft's wheel wells.[9]
Several American Connection and one United Express flight out of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport have been canceled this morning, according to the airport's website.[2] The cancellations involved American Connection and United Express flights, mainly out of St. Louis. The airline also canceled 'a few' United Express flights from Chicago, but none of its U.S. Airways Express service.[10] The airline operates about 50 daily departures out of the St. Louis airport for American Connection, Mishk said. Trans States also flies for U.S. Airways, but none of its departing flights appeared to have been canceled.[6] The Web site did not show any cancellations of U.S. Airways flights. Trans States Airlines spokesman Bill Mishk said the carrier pulled 24 of its 50 jets for maintenance beginning Tuesday evening. Of those 24, 12 were put back into service by Wednesday morning and Mishk said he expects the remaining dozen to be back in service by late Wednesday evening. He said the company does not expect cancellations to continue into Thursday.[9] The airline canceled 11 flights on Tuesday. Trans States spokesman Bill Mishk said the airline this morning had 12 of the affected planes back in service and hoped to have the remaining 12 aircraft back in service by this evening.[7] The internal audit comes as the FAA continues a sweep of U.S. airline inspection records that most recently saw thousands of flights canceled by American Airlines last week. Trans States vice president of marketing and planning Bill Mishk said the airline this morning returned to service 12 of the 24 airplanes under scrutiny and planned to finish all the inspections by this evening.[10]
Trans States spokesman Bill Mishk said 45 flights had been canceled by Wednesday evening because of the problem. He estimated that all the planes would be checked and back in service by Thursday night.[11]
The airline said it would accommodate passengers whose flights have been canceled. Anyone who booked a flight for Wednesday on either American Connection or United Express should call their airline. Trans States said it does expect to have its aircraft back in service by Wednesday evening.[4] The latest airline to cancel flights due to federal inspections is a regional carrier called Trans States Airlines, according to Joe Brancatelli's Joe Sent Me website for business travelers. What? You never heard of Trans States? It flies as American Connection, United Express and U.S. Airways Express for the big airlines.[12] Bridgeton, Mo. -based Trans States Airlines is a regional feeder airline for American Airlines, United Airlines, and U.S. Airways.[13]
Trans States operates more than 300 flights a day under the names AmericanConnection, United Express and U.S. Airways Express, with service to 46 cities in 25 states. At least three other companies fly the Embraer jets that Trans States grounded, according to the companies annual reports. A spokesman for Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group Inc. said it is in compliance with the FAA order and has not grounded any of its jets.[11]
April 16, 2008 6:54 p.m. LOS ANGELES -- Trans States Airlines Inc. plans to keep some of its Embraer-145 commuter jets out of service Thursday to finish federally-mandated inspections and maintenance work but expects all of its planes to return to normal schedules by early Friday, said an airline official. William Mishk, the carrier's vice president of marketing, said the closely-held airline discovered discrepancies with mandatory nose landing-gear checks Wednesday night, affecting about half of its fleet of nearly 50 airplanes, and began inspections immediately.[14] The Trans State jet under inspection is an Embraer ERJ-145, which seats 50 passengers. An internal audit this week found that electrical equipment that controls steering on the nose wheel of some planes did not meet specifications, Mishk said.[7] The carrier's maintenance checks focused on the nose wheel steering controls. Beginning Tuesday evening, the carrier pulled 24 of its 50 jets for maintenance. Of those 24, 12 were put back into service by Wednesday morning and spokesman Bill Mishk said at the time he expected the remaining dozen to be back in service by late Wednesday evening.[13] Two United arrivals were canceled. An internal audit this week found that electrical equipment that controls steering on the nose wheel of some planes did not meet specifications, said spokesman Bill Mishk.[5]
Twenty-four of the airline's 50 planes must be inspected for electrical equipment which controls the steering on the nose wheel. The airline was taking steps to work with those whose flights were called off.[3] The planes in question are Embraer ERJ-145 airliners. 24 of the airline's 50 planes must be inspected for electrical equipment which controls the steering on the nose wheel.[4]
The air carrier cancelled about 45 flights, affecting about 1,100 people, so crews could inspect electrical equipment that controls the steering on the nose wheel.[15]
Nose wheel steering is not used in flight, Mishk said. It's used only for taxiing.[7] Mishk said the maintenance checks focused on the nose wheel steering controls.[9]
The airline had not properly checked an electrical switch that controls steering of the nose wheel.[11]
Mishk said the problem stemmed from the airline's mistake in not complying with federally-mandated schedules for inspecting part of the steering mechanism of the nose gear.[14] The airline operates about 50 daily departures out of Lambert for American Connection, Mishk said.[1] According to the Lambert Web site, 16 American Connection flights and three United Express flights were canceled as of Thursday morning.[13] The airline said it would accommodate passengers whose flights have been canceled. Anyone who booked a flight for Wednesday on either American Connection or United Express should call their airline.[15]
The airline said it would accommodate passengers whose flights have been canceled. Trans States told ksdk.com it expected to have all the aircraft back in service this evening.[2] Absolutely no question about it," said Bill Mishk, Trans States Airlines. "The question is whether it's a safety or flight issue and what we're saying is that the aircraft can land, take off perfectly, it's just that their was an issue relative to the taxiing of the aircraft."[2] "There's a likelihood" that some may be canceled, Trans States spokesman Bill Mishk told the newspaper.[6]
LOS ANGELES -- U.S. aviation regulators have found maintenance discrepancies on up to 24 regional jets operated by closely held Trans States.[16] All 24 of the planes will be inspected and fixed at Trans States' maintenance facility at Lambert.[7]
We are not going to be an LAX." The FAA rates airports as large hubs if they individually account for at least 1 percent of the total passenger boardings in the United States. In 2006, there were 30 such hubs. Lambert just missed the cut at No. 32, with slightly more than 7 million passengers boarding planes from its gates. The FAA hasn't released its 2007 rankings. Airport and City Hall officials say the credit-rating strategy is not a retreat from their ambition to restore Lambert to the league of large U.S. hubs.[17] St. Louis Passenger boardings are climbing at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, and local leaders are confident the airport is on the cusp of becoming a top hub again. The big talk comes with big plans as Lambert pursues more carriers and embarks on a $105 million makeover of its concourses.[17] American Airlines and its regional partners generate 158 daily flights, compared with 417 before the schedule was slashed. American spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said Lambert was "right-sized to meet the needs of the local St. Louis traveler" but did not lose its hub status in the eyes of the air carrier. By contrast, she noted, the airline no longer considers San Jose, Nashville, Tenn., or Raleigh-Durham, N.C., airports among its network of hubs.[17] In 2000, Lambert ranked 15th among major U.S. airports with about 15.3 million boardings. In 2003, American Airlines and its partners cut more than half their flights at Lambert.[17]
After American Airlines' reductions, credit rating agencies like Standard & Poor's and Fitch downgraded Lambert's debt rating. City leaders now want bond-rating agencies to compare Lambert with its present economic realities, not the pre-2003 days when its passenger volume rivaled Newark. "You know, that's been five years ago now," Ivy Neyland-Pinkston, city deputy comptroller for finance and development, told the St. Louis Airport Authority earlier this month.[17]
Only the airport's website showed about 20 flight cancellations after I clicked on "flight information" and "departures." It's the way to request some compensation if you had to stay overnight. In other airline news, the Associated Press is reporting that four passengers ''' this could become a larger class-action suit ''' are suing Southwest Airlines to get compensation for flying on planes that missed safety inspections for about six years. According to the AP report, the travelers want to be paid for their tickets because the airline failed to comply with federal regulations and therefore didn't keep up its side of the "contract" with customers.[12] The airline canceled approximately 40 flights following cancellations of 12 flights Tuesday due to inspections of its aircraft fleet.[13]
The groundings led to the cancellation of several dozen flights during the day on Wednesday. By evening, he projected, roughly a dozen planes remained voluntarily grounded by the airline.[14]
When I went online to the big carriers' sites and to Trans States' website, I found no information on flights being scrapped or what to do if you have to rebook. [12] Today, commercial air carriers at Lambert collectively average 348 departing passenger flights a day.[17] Lambert officials are looking to double the airport's ability to handle air cargo. "I would say that while this is a long-term project, everything we heard said there's a lot of interest in this," said Richard C.D. Fleming, president of the Regional Chamber and Growth Association.[17] The airport continues to aggressively pursue commercial air carriers and is trying to develop air freight business. Last month, a group of St. Louis leaders went to China in hopes of promoting international trade in this part of the Midwest.[17] After arriving home from Los Angeles last week, Mark Doering has lunch with his mother, Mary Doering, at the Rib Cafe at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.[17]
On Tuesday evening, at least 11 American Connection departures out of Lambert were canceled, along with at least four arrivals. [5] The nosewheel is not used in flight, Mishk said. It's used only for taxiing. "This does not involve the safety of flights," he said. It's unclear how the inspections will affect flights Wednesday, but "there's a likelihood" that some may be canceled, Mishk said.[5]
Not so long ago, the Federal Aviation Administration regarded Lambert as a major passenger hub in the United States. [17]
SOURCES
1. STLtoday - Trans States cancellations to continue
2. Some flights canceled out of Lambert this morning
3. Regional airline cancels flights out of St. Louis | News-Leader.com | Springfield News-Leader
4. KSDK NewsChannel 5 - Prepare for More Flight Delays on Wednesday
5. STLtoday - American Connection operator cancels flights at Lambert
6. Trans States Airlines pulls planes - UPI.com
7. STLtoday - Trans States gets planes back into service
8. More flights canceled at Lambert today; check with your airline
9. Trans States Airlines cancels 40 more flights Wed. at Lambert Airport - St. Louis Business Journal:
10. Trans States Grounds ERJ 145s for Internal Audit: AINonline
11. Trans States planes grounded because of missed inspections - International Herald Tribune
12. United Express and other regional carriers cancel flights - Travel - LATimes.com
13. Trans States Airlines' cancellations continue into Thursday - St. Louis Business Journal:
14. Trans States Airlines Expects More Cancellations Thursday - WSJ.com
15. KSDK NewsChannel 5 - Air Carrier Says Inspections Not Finished; Cancellations to Continue Thursday
16. Free Preview - WSJ.com
17. STLtoday - City, airport officials mix pride, modesty in Lambert outlook
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