American Airlines is the country's largest airline. However, it might also be one of the country's most dangerous airlines, if new allegations from the carrier's mechanics are true.
Introduced in a lawsuit filed yesterday by Transport Workers Union, Local 591, based in North Texas, the allegations suggest that American pressures its mechanics to "commit maintenance fraud, disregard maintenance discrepancies, deviate from federally-mandated procedures, abstain from required lightning strike and bird strike inspections, and otherwise violate federal aviation standards" in order to improperly keep airplanes in revenue service.
Mechanics who have approached American Airlines management with safety concerns, the lawsuit alleges, have been threatened with disciplinary action, including termination, and arrest.
"AA's recent history has been plagued by unlawful maintenance practices compromising passenger safety," reads the lawsuit, which cites a litany of incidents dating back to 2008, when the Federal Aviation Administration FAA found American to have engaged in faulty wiring practices that required the grounding of its entire MD-80 fleet.
The FAA confirmed that it is aware of the allegations against American.
"We are aware of allegations, but it's under investigation and we can't comment further," FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said.
American, meanwhile, has denied the allegations.
"We continually and consistently work with our regulators so that American's maintenance programs, practices, procedures, and overall compliance and safety are second to none," airline spokesman Casey Norton said in a statement. "Our communication with the FAA is ongoing and frequent, and their oversight team has not alerted us to any current critical issues or concerns."
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