By Michael Garko, In Airline News
As many as a dozen tornadoes were reported in the Dallas-Forth Worth area after two supercells blasted through the region Tuesday afternoon. American Airlines, who has a hub at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, was forced to cancel about 800 flights on Tuesday, leading to nearly 1500 passengers spending the night in terminals.
Photo by Craig Ruttle, AP
Tuesday’s storms “caused varying degrees of hail damage to more than 100 aircraft at the airport,” DFW said in a statement. “Airline personnel are conducting individual aircraft assessments to determine the extent of the impact.”
American Airlines spokesperson Tim Smith told MSNBC the carrier will inspect 94 jets for hail damage per FAA requirements.
According to FlightStats.com, as of mid-morning on Wednesday, American and its affiliate American Eagle had cancelled 435 of its typical 1500 daily flights due to the ongoing inspections. The airline is attempting to rebook passengers on flights through its other hubs to minimize the impact on travelers, and urged travelers across the country to check their flight status before arriving to the airport.
“We’re working on this as fast as possible and we appreciate everyone’s patience,” Smith said to frustrated travelers.
FOLLOW: Get the latest news and updates direct to your feeds on Facebook and Twitter.
