Alaska Airlines to cancel 30 flights for safety checks

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Alaska Airlines revised downward Friday the number of flights that will be canceled because of a maintenance review.

About 30 flights will be canceled throughout the weekend, instead of the 50 the airline originally predicted, said airline spokesman Gregg Witter.

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The airline referred passengers to its Web site for information about flight cancellations.

Mechanics worked through the night to check a part of the tail assembly after the airline learned that some of the tools used to check the "jackscrew" may have given inaccurate readings. The inspections take two to four hours apiece.

Alaska Airlines grounded 18 of its 34 MD-80 jets, and 20 flights were cancelled Thursday night, said Bill Ayer, president and chief operating officer of the airline.

The FAA heightened scrutiny of the airlines after the January 31 crash of Flight 261 off the coast of California. All 88 people on board died.

Investigators have not concluded what caused the crash, but they have focused attention on a jackscrew and gimble nut assembly that apparently failed, contributing to the crash. The jackscrew moves the horizontal stabilizer, which controls the plane's up-and-down movement.

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