AMR Faces Record $24 Million U.S. Fine for Maintenance

AMR Corp.’s American Airlines faces a record $24.2 million fine for maintenance lapses that grounded its Boeing Co. MD-80s in 2008, stranding 360,000 passengers, the Federal Aviation Administration said today.

The proposal, exceeding the $10.2 million the FAA sought from Southwest Airlines Co. more than two years ago, sets up months of talks with American over a final penalty for alleged flaws that forced cancellation of 3,300 flights in a week.