Oregon Public Broadcasting

Alaska Airlines has joined American Airlines in cancelling flights Wednesday.  Government-ordered inspections forced Alaska to scrub 19 departures so far.  The groundings primarily affect flights out of Seattle and Portland.  Correspondent Tom Banse reports. 
 
Alaska Air and American grounded an older jet model called the MD-80.  Alaska owns nine of them.  Spokeswoman Caroline Boren says the FAA ordered immediate inspections of wires in the aircraft wheel well area.
 
Boren: "They’re inspecting the wire bundle, the ties on the wire bundle, and also the clips that fasten the wire bundle to the wheel well wall."
 
Boren says the issue would not affect safety in the air.  However, the inspections are forcing the cancellation of numerous flights between Seattle and Portland and destinations in California.  Boren says passengers are being rebooked on other flights at no charge.  The impact on Alaska operations is less severe that what American Airlines is experiencing.  It scrubbed more than a thousand flights nationwide, including service from Seattle and Portland to its Midwest hubs.