Southwest not only airline with inspection issues

Heck, it’s not even the only airline in Dallas-Fort Worth with inspection issues. Yes, we’re talking about you, American Airlines. AND, we’re talking about the same Federal Aviation Administration investigator who later gave Southwest a pass to keep flying uninspected jets.

Last year, Southwest disclosed to the FAA that 46 jets missed airworthiness inspections, but it didn’t immediately ground them; an FAA supervisor appears to have known Southwest didn't stop flying after indicating that it would.

Inspectors in the office overseeing American Airlines have made similar complaints about their efforts to police American, according to two inspectors who spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to talk to the media.

The FAA supervisor in (Dallas suburb) Irving who oversaw Southwest’s maintenance, and gave tacit permission to keep flying the jets, previously had the same duty for American Eagle, (American’s commuter/puddle-jumper airline).

Between 1997 and 2002, FAA inspectors documented more than 60 enforcement cases against American and American Eagle, according to FAA records.

Wonderful. So, for those of us who live in D/FW, who don’t trust either one of the hub airlines now, what do we fly? Northwest, even if it flew that many planes into here, has its own set of broadly similar allegations.

Meanwhile, The Dallas Morning News aviation blog is bringing out the nutbars. That includes a gasbag lawyer claiming an American pilot is blogging in order to help Southwest.

Yeah, we’ll see actual low fares from both airlines before that happens.