If you have upcoming flights on American and Delta Air Lines, you may be delayed. According to an article on MSNBC, both airlines has canceled dozen of flights on Thursday to inspect the wiring on some of their planes. These cancellations come on the heels from unsurmounted pressure from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Yesterday, American Airlines unexpectedly canceled 325 flights and is expected to cancel another 132 today. However, Delta has not officially announced the number of flights it was canceling on Thursday.

American said it began its inspections after an audit of the carrier by a joint team of inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration and the airline. The inspections focus on proper spacing between two bundles of wires in the plane's auxiliary hydraulic system, and those wires must be installed exactly according to an FAA directive, American said.

American has completed inspections on 243 MD-80 aircraft, and about 45 planes "are still being worked on," Wagner said Thursday.

"We expect all but a few to be back in service by tomorrow," he said.

Delta expected heavy volumes Thursday at its hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, spokeswoman Chris Kelly said. Both Delta and the Transportation Security Administration were bringing in extra staff to handle the crowd of travelers, she said.

Kelly said she didn't yet have estimates on how many passengers were affected by the flight cancellations.

Delta said its inspections are expected to be completed by Saturday.

The inspections come almost three weeks after the FAA ordered a check of all U.S. airlines' maintenance records. That was after controversy erupted over its handling of missed safety inspections at Dallas-based southwest airlines.

Here's the best of the aviation news, which, ironically, is all about frequent flier programs. Take note to see if these changes effect you.

Major Change in Frequent Flyer Miles

US Airways, which dominates the market at Syracuse's hancock Airport will no longer offer 500 minimum miles on short trips. This means you'll earn fewer miles on every connecting flight in and out of Central New York. US Airways no longer will offer 500 minimum miles on short hops, a move that is angering frequent fliers. Beginning May 1, the Tempe-based airline will award actual miles flown on short flights.

US Airways Tweaks Incentives to Offset Costs

US Airways Group Inc. said Thursday it will begin awarding frequent-flier miles based on the actual number of miles flown rather than a preset minimum in an effort to offset higher fuel and other costs. The carrier also said it will begin charging customers who redeem miles online within two weeks of departure a $50 "quick ticketing fee."

Considering Redeeming Miles? Don't Wait

Last week I reported on the sad state of affairs of unredeemed (and hard-to-redeem) frequent-flier miles. And just when you thought it might be getting tougher to redeem miles, a number of airlines announced it's about to get even tougher than that. Each airline managed to use language that made the announcements appear to be valuable "enhancements" to their programs - enhancements to their bottom lines, perhaps, but not for consumers.

To combat the skyrocketing price of fuel, United Airlines, raised its fares on domestic flights by $10. If history is any indicator, expect other airlines to follow suit.

The increase is the fourth attempted by the airline industry so far this year, according to a tally by FareCompare.com, which tracks changes in airline ticket prices. Two of those have been largely successful, FareCompare.com said.

Fuel is one of the airline industry's biggest costs, and the surge in oil prices is threatening to erase the profit margins airlines have managed to achieve in recent years. Crude prices climbed back above $100 a barrel earlier this week. On Friday, light, sweet crude for April delivery rose 58 cents to settle at $98.81 a barrel.

Remember 'The Terminal' with Tom Hanks? Remember how he lived in the airport for a few months. Well, meet a real Victor Navorski. According to an article on MSNBC, chef Anthony Delaney, has been living in London's Gatwick Airport for three years. Who knew?

The Argus newspaper in the southern city of Brighton says Anthony Delaney has been camping out at the airport's south terminal and leaving only rarely to collect unemployment benefits.

The newspaper says the 41-year-old ate, showered and slept at the airport despite dozens of run-ins with police and a civil order banning him from the facility.

The paper says Delaney is due to be sentenced next month. He acknowledged violating the order in court Monday.

Sussex Police say they first stopped Delaney at the airport in 2004 and have recorded more than 30 encounters with him since.

43 passengers and 3 crew members were killed when their plane crashed into a mountain. The cause of the crash is unknown, however, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that the pilot knew the area well. According to an article on Yahoo!, crash investigators and forensic experts were dropped near the crash to recover clues that may help investigators learn the cause of the accident.

The twin-engine Santa Barbara Airlines plane shattered on impact and burst into flames Thursday, leaving only its tail largely intact and a swath of blackened ground amid scrub brush. Searchers spotted the crash site by helicopter on Friday in the Sierra La Culata National Park.

"We've run into many difficulties due to the steepness of the terrain," Vinas said. High winds forced the helicopter to leave the team more than a mile from the site, requiring them to hike in thin air and subfreezing temperatures to reach it.

Firefighters carried oxygen canisters to help cope with the high altitude.

Venezuelan officials said the recovery and identification of bodies would be difficult because victims were ripped apart upon impact.

"We're going to recover everything we can," emergency management chief Gen. Antonio Rivero told The Associated Press.

President Hugo Chavez on Friday declared that "Venezuela is in mourning" and called for a full investigation.

The French-made ATR 42-300, bound for Caracas, was carrying 43 passengers and three crew members when it crashed shortly after takeoff from the Andean city of Merida, a tourist destination wedged between soaring mountain peaks.

Headed to Antarctica? Well, travel to the ice continent just got easier. Thanks to Australia, passengers to Antarctica can now land on a new runway made of ice and snow. Named after Australian polar explorer and pilot, Sir George Hubert Wilkins, the runway is 2.5 miles long and 2,300 feet thick.

Work on the runway, which cost AUD $46.3 million (U.S. $42.2 million), began in 2005 and required three summers to complete. Although construction occurred during the warmest part of the year, workers still experienced temperatures as low as minus 32 degrees Fahrenheit and winds up to 115 miles per hour, the strength of a Class 3 hurricane.

In January, the Governor-General of Australia, Michael Jeffery, described the Wilkins Runway as a remarkable feat of ice engineering. "It is fitting that it is named after Sir George Hubert Wilkins, one of the great pioneers of polar exploration and aviation. He encountered many of the same perils that face our Antarctic aviators today - ferocious wind, ice and snow blizzards and absolute isolation," Jeffrey said.

Runway leveled using lasers
The Wilkins Runway was cut from glacial ice and leveled using laser technology. "The runway here is a lot smoother than a lot of runways at international airports around the world," said pilot Garry Studd.

White snow 'pavement' was bonded to the glacial blue ice to deflect the sun's rays. Blue ice absorbs heat from the sun and warms up, causing melts and pitted surfaces and creating a potentially unsafe surface for airplanes. Without the snow 'pavement', aircraft could slide across the runway during crosswind takeoffs and landings.

Precision approach path indicators installed on the side of the runway provide a visual landing aid to help pilots ensure that their approach angle is correct.

The ambitious project required tracked vehicles, compactors, ploughs, and snow-throwers. Equipment was shipped from Australia by boat, a five-week journey.