All systems go for Southwest at MacArthur

As Southwest Airlines continues to pull Boeing 737-300 aircraft out of service for safety inspections, officials said they expect none of the airline's flights servicing Long Island-MacArthur Airport to be affected by the situation Monday.

MacArthur spokeswoman Catherine Green said the airline had some delays and a handful of cancellations Saturday and Sunday, after one of its planes made an emergency landing at a military base in Yuma, Ariz., with a hole torn in the roof of its passenger cabin.

Southwest announced 70 flights out of more than 3,400 departures scheduled for Monday were being canceled -- and the tote board at MacArthur showed all Southwest flights operating on time.

Green said there were "scattered delays" expected at MacArthur Monday. Most were likely due to inclement weather, she said.

Green said the safety checks affect only the Boeing 737-300 model used by Southwest.

Southwest serves 72 cities in 37 states and operates a fleet of 548 Boeing 737s. Green said those 737-300 aircraft do not serve MacArthur, which is served by the newer 737-500 and 737-700 aircraft in the Southwest fleet.

On Friday one of those older 737-300 models carrying 118 people was forced to make an emergency landing at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma after making a rapid but controlled descent from 34,500 feet after a hole ruptured overhead with a blast that had passengers scrambling for oxygen masks, The Associated Press reported.

No one was injured.

AP reported that federal records show cracks in the frame of the aircraft were found and repaired a year ago.

Federal investigators said Monday cracks had been found in three more aircraft.

The Associated Press also reported that National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said the rip in the flight that made that emergency landing in Yuma was a foot wide and started along a lap joint where two sections of the aircraft's skin are riveted together. A review of Federal Aviation Administration records by The Associated Press found at least eight instances of cracking in the airframe of the 15-year-old jet.

Officials said it is not uncommon for cracks to be found during inspections of planes that age, especially during scheduled heavy maintenance checks in which they are taken apart so inspectors can see into areas not normally visible.

Southwest said in a statement posted on its media website Monday that it canceled about 300 flights nationwide on Saturday and again on Sunday and said the airline continues to inspect aircraft "and will put those with no findings back into service."

The website posting advised that customers should continue to consult southwest.com before heading to their local airports to get specifics on the status of their particular flight.

The airline is working to minimize the impact to customers," the statement read, adding Southwest expects to complete the inspections Tuesday.