American Airlines said it canceled more than 1,000 flights, or more than one-third of its mainline operations, Wednesday for safety checks.

The move could disrupt travel plans for tens of thousands of passengers nationwide.

It follows 460 flights canceled Tuesday, while it inspected and repaired wiring in the wheel wells of its Boeing MD-80s. The wiring is near the jet's fuel tanks.

The company said in a statement that the flights would have averaged more than 100 passengers, meaning that more than 100,000 travelers could have been left scrambling to book new flights.

"These cancellations are within our control. It's different than weather cancellations. We're providing hotel and meal vouchers where possible," said American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner.

The cancellations were the latest triggered by a nationwide review ordered after the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) admitted last month that Southwest Airlines flew jets that hadn't received critical safety checks.

(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2008)