How retarded is this.

You've got a plane in the air, and someone notices that some seats are
(or have become) loose.

Passengers in those seats are moved to other (presumably empty) seats.

Everyone is now sitting in a secure seat.

So why does the plane need to make an emergency landing?

What difference does it make at this point if the plane continues on and
lands at it's scheduled destination?

American Airlines.

Something Retarded In The Air.

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http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/10/...ts-come-loose/

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – An American Airlines flight from Boston to Miami
had to make an emergency landing in New York over the weekend.

An American Airlines spokesperson said Flight 443 departed John F.
Kennedy International Airport at around 7:15 a.m. Monday en route to
Miami. A row of three seats came loose just like on Saturday’s flight
from Boston.

Passengers were moved to other seats and the flight landed safely at
JFK. All of the passengers were put on another plane which landed in
Miami at 2:15 p.m.

On Saturday, American Airlines Flight 685 was diverted to JFK after a
row of three seats had become loose in the coach cabin of the Boeing
757, an airline spokesperson said.

Three passengers were moved to other seats on the flight before the
plane landed safely around 12:50 p.m., officials said.

No injuries were reported in either incident.

Like the aircraft from Saturday’s flight, Flight 443, also a 757, had
recently had maintenance done, officials said. American Airlines is
taking a total of eight aircraft with similar seating assemblies out of
service as a result. The airline said it is looking at the incidents as
a maintenance issue.

In a call to air traffic control, the pilot of Flight 685 can be heard
saying, “Got an unusual one for you. Passenger seats rows 12D, E and F,
uh, came loose out of the floor. Passengers are unable to, uh, sit in
that seat.”

Several hours later, passengers were placed on another flight to Miami.

The airline is conducting an internal investigation.

“Safety is our top priority,” American Airlines spokesperson Matt Miller
said in a statement. “We never have – and never will – compromise the
safety and reliability of our fleet.”

American issued another statement Monday afternoon. “An initial internal
investigation into why a row of seats became loose on an American
Airlines Boeing 757 bound from Boston to Miami on Saturday has indicated
that there could be a possible issue with a certain model of seats and
how they fit into the tracking used to secure the seats. Out of an
abundance of caution, American has decided to proactively reinspect
eight 757s today that could possibly have this same issue.

“The seats were installed by American maintenance and contract
maintenance. The issue does not seem to be tied to any one maintenance
facility or one workgroup. This afternoon, the company flew engineers,
tech crew chiefs, and inspectors from its Tulsa maintenance base to New
York to evaluate the aircraft and determine the next course of action to
correct the problem.

“We are in contact with the FAA they are aware of our internal review.”

The Federal Aviation Administration issued the following statement on
Monday:

“The Federal Aviation Administration is looking into two separate
incidents involving American Airlines Boeing 757 jetliners that were
taken out of service after passenger seat rows became loose in flight.

“On Saturday, American Flight 685, on a flight from Boston to Miami,
diverted to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and on Monday,
Flight 443, from JFK to Miami, returned to JFK without incident after
loose seats were discovered. The airline’s initial inspection of each
aircraft found other rows of seats that were not properly secured.

“Preliminary information indicates that both aircraft had recently
undergone maintenance during which the seats had been removed and
re-installed.

“Including these two airplanes, the airline has taken eight aircraft
with similar seat assemblies out of service until they can be
inspected.”

The loose seat mishap is the latest blunder for American Airlines.

The carrier is facing heightened scrutiny by the FAA in the wake of its
bankruptcy filing last year, and a string of maintenance and employee
problems — all of which have led to significant delays and
cancellations.

Many travelers are taking a second look when it comes to choosing
American.

“Obviously, American Airlines is not being transparent with
information,” said concerned flier Patrick Rodgers. “If there are
issues, they owe it to the American public.”