Southwest Airlines passengers, especially those headed cross-country, would be wise to check the status of their flight Sunday after the airline grounded 79 of its Boeing 737-300s due to a depressurization emergency that occurred Friday when a hole developed in the overhead section of the fuselage.
The 79 planes grounded are older, long-range jets that have not had their aluminum skins replaced, and delays and flight cancellations were likely to continue today. About 300 Southwest flights were canceled nationwide Saturday.
At least six flights originating at Los Angeles International Airport were canceled. Several others at John Wayne and Bob Hope/Burbank airports also were canceled or delayed.
TRAVEL ADVISORY | Southwest Airlines
No one was injured in Friday's accident, though the emergency scared many of the passengers. The pilot descended precipitously from about 34,500 feet to make an emergency landing in Yuma, Ariz.
Taking 79 planes out of Southwest's fleet of about 170 Boeing 737-300s is expected to trigger cancellations or delays today, as the airline scrambles to find replacement aircraft. Southwest operates a total of about 540 aircraft.
Southwest said its engineers, as well as experts from Boeing, will inspect all the 737s that have not had their skins replaced. They ``are covered by a set of FAA airworthiness directives aimed at inspections for aircraft skin fatigue,'' according to an airline statement issued Saturday. ``Those aircraft will be inspected over the course of the next several days at five locations.''
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A roughly 3-foot section of aluminum failed on the Phoenix-to-Sacramento flight Saturday, causing the cabin to lose pressure in the thin air. Internet video and photos showed a patch of blue sky beyond dangling cables, insulation and jagged metal.
