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While American regroups, Frontier goes bankrupt
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U.S. airline industry turmoil continues today, as one airline gets back in the air while another slips into bankruptcy.
Despite a fourth day of massive flight cancellations, almost all American Airlines flights to and from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport are back on schedule today.
Of a combined 32 American arrivals and departures at Sky Harbor, only three of each are still grounded, said Claire Simeone, Sky Harbor spokeswoman.
The cancelled flights include 433 and 1770 to Dallas and 1600 to Chicago. Scratched arrivals are 1695 and 707 from Dallas and 309 from Chicago.
It’s a complete turnaround from Thursday when American only flew six flights to and from the local hub, and would-be passengers scrambled to find a way to their planned destinations.
American said Thursday it would cancel more than 500 flights nationwide today and more on Saturday, as the beleaguered airline tries to find and fix improperly secured wire bundles in the wheel wells of its MD-80 planes.
But the airline also said it will put planes back into service as quickly as possible as they complete inspections and maintenance. Two thirds of the 300 planes taken out of service should be back flying by the end of the day, American CEO Gerard Arpey said Thursday.
Meanwhile low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines said it was felled by its credit card processor holding back cash and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
But the low-cost carrier said it will keep flying while it tries to secure new financing.
Frontier’s flight schedule lists eight daily round trips between Sky Harbor and Denver, one to and from Atlanta and a few puddle jumpers to northern Arizona and New Mexico.
Frontier is the fifth airline to get caught by a staggering economy and rising fuel prices in the last month.
ATA , Aloha and Skybus already ceased operations. Minnesota-based charter Champion Air said it will shut down in May.
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