American Airlines has admitted flying the wrong aircraft for a journey from Los Angeles to Hawaii trip last month. The A321 in question had not been certified to fly over water for long distances.
American Airlines have two different types of A321s— the A321H that is ETOPS certified and can fly to Hawaii, and the A321S that cannot fly to Hawaii. On this occasion a non-ETOPS aircraft was prepped for the flight to Hawaii.
American Airlines said in a statement: “When we realized what happened, we immediately notified the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] and began a thorough review of our procedures.”
American Airlines has also revised its software to properly identify the correct aircraft are operating the correct routes, the airline confirmed in a statement.
“American Airlines 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.”