Grounded

Oh, Herr Doktor, you are among the stranded. And in Bentonville, AK no less.

Business trips and vacations were disrupted for over 100,000 travelers as American Airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights — nearly half its schedule — to fix faulty wiring that could cause a short-circuit or even a fire and explosion.

Executives at American said safety was never compromised, and they suggested the nation's biggest airline was the victim of suddenly stepped-up scrutiny by federal regulators. The airline had already scrubbed 460 flights on Tuesday after federal inspectors found problems with wiring work done two weeks ago, during the first set of shutdowns. The issue stemmed from an order that the Federal Aviation Administration gave airlines in September 2006 about the bundling of wires in the auxiliary hydraulic systems of MD-80 aircraft. The fear is that improperly bundled wires could rub, leading to an electrical short or even fire. The airlines had until last month to be compliant.

American officials thought they had fixed the problem, but this week, FAA inspectors found problems with the work done last month on more than a dozen planes. American said it had no choice but to ground all 300 of its MD-80s to deal with the wiring bundles. To put into perspective, American operates about 2,200 daily flights - more than one-third with MD-80s, and nearly half the cancellations were concentrated at two airports in Dallas and Chicago.

American's cancellations came after similar delays at Southwest, Delta and United. Last week, hundreds of travelers were marooned when Aloha Airlines and ATA Airlines shut down and filed for bankruptcy protection. A return to normal operations would depend on how quickly mechanics can inspect and fix the wire bundles, and as of this morning, only 30 MD-80s had been cleared to fly by the FAA - making cancellations for the rest of the week almost certain.

The FAA began looking more closely at airlines' compliance with safety directives in recent weeks, after it was criticized for letting Southwest operate planes that had missed inspections for cracked fuselages. As a result, the FAA levied a $10.2 million penalty against Southwest and conducted new inspections at all U.S. airlines, leading to flight cancellations at Southwest, Delta and United.

And if you don't want to get stuck flying, you can always pony up $4 a gallon for gas. Cars...the reliable way to travel!