March 27 (Bloomberg) -- AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, the world's largest carrier, and Delta Air Lines Inc. canceled more than 400 flights combined to reinspect wiring on their Boeing Co. MD-80 model jets.

Delta stranded a ``few thousand'' passengers in Atlanta as it began halting 275 flights, the company said. American scrubbed 141 flights today, after dropping 318 yesterday.

The cancellations follow Federal Aviation Administration checks on airline maintenance records for compliance with government directives. The FAA proposed a $10.2 million fine, the highest ever, against Southwest Airlines Co. on March 6 for flying 46 jets without proper inspections for fuselage cracks.

``The airlines are very sensitive to this right now, given the issues at Southwest,'' Michael Derchin, a New York-based analyst for FTN Midwest Research Securities Corp., said in an interview. ``They're moving very quickly to take corrective action.''

Today's cuts amount to 5.7 percent of American's 2,300 primary jet operations and 3 percent of Delta's worldwide schedule of 4,056 flights.

AMR fell 23 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $8.38 and Delta declined 39 cents, or 4.5 percent, to $8.35 at 4:03 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.

Delta, the third-largest U.S. airline, is checking all 117 of its MD-88s, spokeswoman Betsy Talton said in an interview. That represents about 20 percent of the Atlanta-based company's fleet. About 70 percent of the planes will be back in service later today, and all work is expected to be complete by tomorrow, she said.

Passengers Stranded

About 1,200 people ``had to spend the night at hotel Hartsfield,'' said Orzy Theus, a spokesman for Hartsfield- Jackson Atlanta International Airport, referring to passengers who slept in the airport's terminals after their Delta flights were canceled.

``Unfortunately, they had to make do in one of our less- than-comfortable chairs,'' Theus said. Several airport restaurants stayed open later than usual to feed hungry travelers, he said.

Most passengers affected by the cancellations were put up in hotels paid for by Delta or were driven to destinations that were within a couple hours of Atlanta, Talton said.

American is rechecking all 300 of its MD-80s. Of 291 inspected so far, 145 needed wiring repairs, spokesman Tim Wagner said. MD-80s make up about 46 percent of Fort Worth, Texas-based American's main jet fleet.

Wire Sleeve

The checks aim to verify that the carriers properly installed a sleeve covering a wire bundle to an auxiliary hydraulic pump in the twin-engine planes. The sleeve is supposed to be attached to a wheel-well wall at one-inch (2.5-centimeter) intervals, the FAA said yesterday.

Separately today, US Airways Group Inc. said it's checking its 45 Boeing 757s after a wing panel came off during a flight from Orlando to Philadelphia on March 22.

The plane landed safely and none of the passengers or crew was hurt. The panel measured 3 1/2 feet by 4 1/2 feet, and US Airways said it hasn't determined why it came loose.

To contact the reporters on this story: Mary Jane Credeur in Atlanta at mcredeur@bloomberg.net; Mary Schlangenstein in Dallas at maryc.s@kbloomberg.net.

Last Updated: March 27, 2008 18:49 EDT