American Airlines Cancels More Than 200 Flights After Regional Carrier Grounded Over Inspection Issue

An American Airlines regional airline resumed flights on Friday after being grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration, forcing the carrier to cancel hundreds of flights.

The regional carrier, PSA Airlines, which operates American Eagle flights, was grounded on Thursday over an inspection issue, forcing American Airlines to cancel about 250 flights and rebook affected passengers. An American Airlines spokeswoman told Travel + Leisure the grounding was due to a “necessary, standard inspection on the nose gear door.”

"PSA Airlines resumed regular operations today following the temporary removal of its aircraft from service. All aircraft inspections are complete and all aircraft are in place for today's operation," the spokeswoman said. "We expect minimal disruption to passengers today with a small number of planned cancellations and delays."

PSA Airlines flies to 90 airports throughout the United States, CNN reported.

The cancellations affected the airline’s Bombardier CRJ planes, the network noted -- there are 130 aircraft in their fleet in total.

The FAA told CNN the regional airline (known to welcome adorable kangaroos on board) had "voluntarily disclosed" the problems with the aircraft.

"Most of our aircraft have temporarily been removed from service to complete a standard inspection," PSA Airlines said in a tweet on Thursday. "We're working to resolve the issue and sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."

The flight cancellations come as the Transportation Security Administration screened fewer passengers at U.S. airports. While holiday travel numbers reached into the million-passenger range, only 750,558 people passed through airports on Thursday, and even fewer -- 468,933 -- were screened on Tuesday, according to the agency.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.