The U.S. Transportation Department announced a $50 million fine on October 23, against American Airlines over allegations it mistreated passengers with disabilities, which the department said in some cases caused injuries.
The fine is 25 times larger than the any other fine by the department for disability-related violations.
From 2019 to 2023 the airline “provided unsafe and undignified physical assistance to passengers on a number of occasions that, at times, resulted in injuries,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “They repeatedly failed to provide prompt wheelchair assistance, and they damaged thousands of passengers’ wheelchairs, which left passengers without the device they need to live their life fully,” he said.
American Airlines said in a statement that its mishandled wheelchair and scooter rate has decreased by 20% since 2022. It also said it “invested more than $175 million in services, infrastructure, training and new technology” to improve service.
The company emphasized its efforts to safely transport wheelchairs and mobility devices include the delivery of powered wheelchair movers to all of its “hubs and tier-one airports,” which allow employees to more easily transport the equipment. It also said it has installed powered wheelchair lifts to load wheelchairs onto planes at more than 20 of its stations, launched automated tags for mobility devices that feature information about customers and specific devices, and enhanced training for employees in how to properly handle devices and communicate with customers with disabilities.
American Airlines is not alone in violations of laws that protect travelers with disabilities. “The problems that we have uncovered in our investigation are not confined to one airline,” Buttigieg said. “We have other active investigations into a number of U.S. airlines for similar violations.”
One response to “American Airlines Fined $50 Million for Disability Mistreatment”
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My wife was confined to a wheelchair at 63 yrs. old to 78, and we never once traveled
on a plane. She had a motorized chair, and the horror stories we heard from our new group of chair user friends stopped any plans involving flying. When your chair is unusable, your life comes to a complete stop. My wife died because her Roho seat cushion failed, and we couldn’t get a replacement for 4 weeks. A pressure sore that looked like paper cut turned into a life ending wound. Airlines don’t care, another bump in the road.