WASHINGTON, April 9 (Xinhua) -- American Airlines said it canceled more than 1,000 flights, or more than one-third of its mainline operations, Wednesday for safety checks.

    The move could disrupt travel plans for tens of thousands of passengers nationwide.

    It follows 460 flights canceled Tuesday, while it inspected and repaired wiring in the wheel wells of its Boeing MD-80s. The wiring is near the jet's fuel tanks.

    The company said in a statement that the flights would have averaged more than 100 passengers, meaning that more than 100,000 travelers could have been left scrambling to book new flights.

    "These cancellations are within our control. It's different than weather cancellations. We're providing hotel and meal vouchers where possible," said American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner.

    The cancellations were the latest triggered by a nationwide review ordered after the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) admitted last month that Southwest Airlines flew jets that hadn't received critical safety checks.

American Airlines grounds 300 planes

American Airlines said Wednesday it canceled about 300 flights because to inspect MD-80 aircraft to ensure wiring is installed and secured according to a new safety directive. ((Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    WASHINGTON, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The American Airlines, the nation's biggest airline, grounded nearly 300 of its planes Wednesday to conduct inspections to make sure they are safe.

    As a result, thousands of the airline's passengers are looking for alternate transportation, according to wire and TV reports.  Full story

U.S. flight agency to check all American airlines' maintenance records

    WASHINGTON, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. flight agency announced on Tuesday that it would check all American airlines' maintenance records after a major airlines was discovered missing safety inspections.

    According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the order is applied to all airlines' maintenance records on Boeing 737 airplane to make sure the order on the structural inspections has been followed.  Full story