American Airlines Flies Wrong Plane to Hawaii

I've made this flight a couple of times and I can't imagine how I would feel if I learned my plane was the wrong one!

Federal safety officials are looking into a flight that American Airlines operated to Hawaii using a plane that lacked all the emergency equipment required for long over-water trips.

Federal Aviation Administration rules require such planes to carry extra oxygen for medical emergencies and an extra canister of fire extinguisher. That's because the planes fly far from airports where they could make an emergency landing.

An American Airlines spokesman said the flight from Los Angeles was on its way to Honolulu on Aug. 31 when an employee on the ground realized that the airline had sent the wrong plane. He said the airline completed the flight but canceled the return trip, which would have used the same jet, and flew the plane flew back to Los Angeles without passengers.

The FAA is investigating.