The FAA didn't mandate these cancellations, and inspections, but when the governing body of my business is recommending that I do something, you can bet that I am going to follow their recommendations!
American probably could have done a better job of this, by announcing that this would occur, a week ahead of time, and having people begin getting refunds, or being rebooked well ahead of time, BUT, even had they done that, I can guarantee that many people would have still shown up to the airport, with no clue, even had it been all over the news. You'd be surprised at the people who show up to the airport completely clueless, even about things that have been known for quite some time.
There is no way American could have scheduled around these cancellations. The type of aircraft being inspected, makes up the majority of their fleet, and they do not have extra planes lying around. Unfortunately these inspections needed to be made, and ultimately, are for passenger safety.
|