American Airlines Passengers Are Left Holding Their Bags

By Art Marroquin

After spending a week visiting Disneyland, Renagibson Berkowitz and her two young daughters should be used to waiting in long lines.

The family found themselves stuck behind another throng of people Wednesday, but this time at the American Airlines counter at Los Angeles International Airport, which wasn’t exactly the happiest place on Earth.

“It isn’t right for them to make us stand in the airport for hours and hours,” Berkowitz said as she lugged four suitcases with help from daughters Michaella, 8, and Daniella, 5.

“I don’t even know if I’ll get home to Dallas today,” she said. “L.A.’s been nice, but it’s time to go home.”

Berkowitz was among some 3,000 stranded passengers who had hoped to catch an American Airlines flight out of LAX on Wednesday, only to be forced to make alternate arrangements.

More than 100,000 passengers faced the same fate at airports across the country after American canceled nearly 1,100 domestic flights as crews continued to reinspect wiring in the wheel wells of MD-80 jetliners.

Along with the 24 departures and 25 arrivals canceled at LAX on Wednesday, American also scrapped 10 flights coming in and out of L.A./Ontario International Airport, eight flights at Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport, four flights at John Wayne Airport in Orange County and 24 flights at San Diego International Airport, according to airline spokeswoman Andrea Huguely.

American plans to cancel about 900 more flights today, and the problems may continue through Friday, according to airline officials. The airline also canceled 460 flights Tuesday, including 16 coming in and out of LAX.

Ron Ensz of Wichita, Kan., said the canceled flights at LAX forced him to catch a different plane to John Wayne Airport on Tuesday, then pay a $110 shuttle fee to make it in time for a business meeting in Los Angeles.

With his meeting over, Ensz stood in line with hundreds of other passengers trying to get home Wednesday afternoon.

“I think this is a terrible way to do business,” Ensz said. “They already said that they don’t have a flight for me today, so now I have to stand here all afternoon to try to book a flight with different airline. An overnight trip turned into a long headache.”

art.marroquin@dailybreeze.com

(c) 2008 Daily News; Los Angeles, Calif.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.