Originally Posted by
SaltyDog
Reread Jetmech1's answer. It is accurate and succinct.
It is also the same at many 121 operators, and is common in the industry. Alot of 121 operators move the cards around with FAA approval to manage resources.
Same level of maintenenace is accomplished, just balance out the timeline to fit ops more efficiently. i.e. some inspections get moved up or back within prexisting allowable limits.
Sometimes extending times between check items or doing the work quicker is not better and yes sometimes the FAA, maintenance and the manufacturer get it wrong. This was the case in this crash
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.aska_Airlines_Flight_261