WTF is going on with airplanes these days? A piece of a wing of a Delta flight from Orlando to Austin was flapping

[raccoon]

around as the plane was flying ( https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/20/us/delta-flap-breaks)

So many airplanes aren't worth a shit anymore!

What is it? That ubiquitous monster, Deregulation, or something else?

[BoRaGard]

1. FAA a total mess after Trump gets his stubby fingers in

The first thing the repubes did in January was trash the FAA leadership - it's been a mess ever since.

Now they claim they are going to "fix" things. Lame. Incompetent. Dangerous gop

https://www.aviationtoday.com/2025/08/21/faa-faces-turmoil-as-trump-administration-pushes-for-overhaul/

[LiberalArkie]

3. Fix things right after they replace "Obamacare"

[jfz9580m]

2. The ubiquitous monster deregulation

Almost certainly has a share of blame in everything these days. It’s just hard to catch up with and keep up with it if you don’t have a side gig as someone whose source of income is sounding an alarm about it.

For me -I am the exasperated average person fighting deregulation. And it really eats away into my time, resources etc.
Since my day job depends on hours of focus and immersion in stuff without any tech at all, it’s just a nuisance since I am not leaving my job to make that the centre of my life.

[xuplate]

4. Problems

The last time I flew Delta—round trip LAX to Boston—i experienced delay, after delay, after delay, both coming and going. These delays were not related to weather or any reported system problems. I had to spend half a day rescheduling my ground transport over and over again. What would cause this other than mechanical or maintenance issues. I experienced delays with a previous Delta round trip but not to this extent.

[OldBaldy1701E]

5. Greed.

They will skim on anything to add a few more bucks to their bonuses.

Passenger safety be damned.

[Hotler]

6. Maintenance and safety sre such a pesky items for a business. nt

[RandomNumbers]

26. Cuts into profit margins. nt

[moondust]

7. Cuts to maintenance and QA?

In order to boost profits and stock price?

[MineralMan]

8. How many planes took off and landed that same day with no issues?

Context is important. Airplanes are machines. Machines have mechanical problems from time to time. That does not mean that every machine has them every time.

News is news, but whether it is relevant or means much of anything is always open to examination.

That Delta flight landed safely and the aircraft went to be repaired. The passengers got off safely. Some flew somewhere else on a different plane. Others will fly home on another Delta flight.

If you fly often enough, you're going to be on a plane someday that has some sort of mechanical problem. It has happened to me two or three times. Each time, I changed planes or arrived at my destination despite the problem. So it goes.

[ProfessorGAC]

12. I Was Incredibly Lucky In That Regard

I've been on a plane close to 1,300 times, and only had 2 issues. Both on the ground. (The enunciator panel had to be fixed before we could take off; and an engine wouldn't start.)
Modest delays in both cases.
I've heard the stories of course, and they happen as you say. Just didn't happen much to me.
Like I said; lucky.

[MineralMan]

13. I've had a few.

One time, the flaps failed on a flight into MSP. So, the plane made a flaps-up landing. A bit faster, so some hard braking after touchdown. Another was just after takeoff. We climbed to about 10,000 feet. Then the oxygen masks dropped out and the flight returned to MSP. I had to wait a couple of hours before boarding another plane. Just a delay in getting to LAX.

There have been a couple more, but those were the most memorable. I just shrugged. Nothing else to do. Really.

[ProfessorGAC]

14. Agreed

Not a plane problem, but I got stuck in the NOLA airport for nearly 14 hours due to torrential rains. Couldn't even leave the airport because streets were flooded.
But, why get worked up?
Nothing could be done.

[Maru Kitteh]

15. Nothing to see here?

I don’t think I can agree with that sentiment.

Poor uptake of advice from the NTSB, poor oversight of inadequate regulation, counterfeit parts, the constant drive for greater margins . . . it’s a problem.

[EX500rider]

24. This issue will be age related IMO, it is a 25 year old plane. nt

[Maru Kitteh]

25. The globe is full of 25yo planes that are perfectly safe due to

adequate maintenance and rigorous oversight. It may well be an issue with a 25yo part, but the crux of the problem is still maintenance and oversight.

[EX500rider]

28. Of course it will be related to proper maintenance but I was responding to people think it's a Boeing issue

[mike_c]

9. a friend of my wife's who prefers some foreign carriers...

...refers to American carriers as "the Dollar General of air travel." Pretty spot on, IMHO.

[meadowlander]

10. Changes in corporate culture at Boeing to prioritise profits over safety

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/boeing-737-max-corporate-culture/677120/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gxvkq109ko

[EX500rider]

11. In this case unlikely to be a Boeing problem as it is a Delta maintenance issue

The 737-800 series 1st flew in 1997 and almost 5,000 of them have been built. Most likely a older model that did not receive proper maintenance and/or inspection by Delta.

[summer_in_TX]

19. Not sure we have the information one way or another about whether it's connected to Boeing or not.

Who built the plane, what model was it?

A separate issue would be Delta maintenance.

[EX500rider]

20. It's a Boeing 737-800, around 5,000 built in the last 25+ years

If the flaps had a design issue it would have showed up long ago.

[summer_in_TX]

21. Thanks.

Hadn't heard the plane manufacturer or make before. I am sure you're correct.

[EX500rider]

23. Not a very new hull either, Reg.N3740C, a 737-832, bought new by Delta in 2000 from Boeing

[Pacifist Patriot]

16. Availability bias. Air travel is NOT less safe.

It's safer than ever.

Remember the adage, "if it bleeds, it leads."

Same shit that makes people believe that violent crime is on the rise when it isn't.

Do the research.

Are there problems with air travel? Of course. There always are.

Are more people statistically injured and dying in aircraft now than in the past? No!

This isn't helpful.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

17. That's why they have two wings. Redundancy!

[Initech]

18. We have a dangerously unqualified Fox News host as Secretary Of Transportation?

[Vinca]

22. This morning there was a report on CNN about lithium batteries causing fires in flight. Apparently, it's

happening to about 1 plane a week. Battery-powered devices are only allowed in the cabin, but what are the chances people don't cram something into luggage that's loaded into the cargo area. I swear I'm never flying again.

[Melon]

30. I don't know if this is positive, but I checked a bag

That had a lithium battery powered item. I just didn’t think about it. I believe it was a laptop or tablet.

After I checked the bag, the (airline) came and got me for further questioning and to remove the item. Apparently I’m the back, your luggage is ex ray’d and pulled out of anything bad is found.

[kimbutgar]

27. They laid off some of inspectors at the airports

Those individuals who identified problems with the plane before it departs.

I really want to travel but am scared to fly nowadays under this insane fascist regime.

[Melon]

29. Nothings been deregulated on airplane safety. This

would purely be on the airlines and their maintenance. This is very regulated. Airline stories tend to occur in spurts tied to public interest if it’s not an actual crash. The stuff happens and has always happened, but whether someone has interesting video/pictures and whether the public cares is the difference.