Airlines Blame Delays on Mechanics

As the holiday travel season got underway, two major U.S. airlines continued to grapple with flight delays they blame on disgruntled mechanics. But a strike appears nearly impossible before year-end. Four days after a federal judge barred United Airlines mechanics from disrupting flight schedules, the Chicago airline said it was still plagued by delays. United had canceled about 2% of its daily 2,300 flights as of 1 p.m. Tuesday, 27 of them related to maintenance, according to spokesman Matt Triaca. Minnesota-based Northwest Airlines won a temporary restraining order Monday aimed at preventing flight delays it says have been caused by work slowdowns by its mechanics. But the airline said Tuesday it had canceled 48 flights, reported 150 delays and said 31 planes remained out of service--all due to maintenance issues.