This is scary!
Over the weekend, American Airlines admitted that a plane it recently used for a flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii was not certified to fly a long trip over water!
On August 31, the flight took off from Los Angeles International Airport and safely landed at Honolulu International Airport — but wasn’t approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to travel over the Pacific Ocean!
[ Related: Soccer Team Trapped In An American Airport Because Of Baggage Fees?! ]
The airline released the following statement after they realized the plane was not ETOPS certified (Extended Range Operation with Two-Engine Airplanes):
“When we realized what happened, we immediately notified the FAA and began a thorough review of our procedures. Already, we have revised our software to properly identify the correct aircraft are operating the correct routes.”
Before you cancel your next flight out of fear, experts say that ETOPS certification really just means the plane has “all the bells and whistles” — and there was no more risk than any other flight!
The statement continued:
“American’s A321S flies over water regularly for many missions, but is not ETOPS-certified, which is required by the FAA for American’s Hawaiian flights. The A321S is equipped with four slide-rafts (one at each corner of the aircraft) and one portable raft in addition to life vests and seat cushions that can serve as flotation devices.”
The FAA is reportedly looking into the incident.
Is this a big deal, or more of just a technicality? Would YOU take that flight??
[Image via Twitter.]
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