Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a $50 million fine to American Airlines for the alleged mistreatment of passengers with disabilities. The department also said in some cases, the mistreatment caused injuries.
The fine is greater than any other fine for disability-related violations, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. He confirmed that American Airlines “provided unsafe and undignified physical assistance to passengers on a number of occasions that, at times, resulted in injuries,”. The recorded incidents happened between 2019 and 2023.
“One traveler with a disability told us in her words, ‘I was made to feel like a piece of luggage, so I do not fly anymore,’” Buttigieg stated. “The bottom line is that the era of tolerating the poor treatment of wheelchair users on airplanes is over.”
According to the Department of Transportation announcement, “These problems are not unique to American Airlines, and allegations of wheelchair mishandling and inadequate wheelchair assistance are far too common,”
American Airlines stated that it has spent $175 million on “services, infrastructure, training and new technology,” this year. “Despite these improvements, there are instances where the service the airline provides is disrupted, untimely, or results in harm to the passenger or their equipment,” The airline admitted. “American takes all these complaints and claims seriously and works hard to remediate them.”
The Department of Transportation confirmed that is has active investigations into similar violations at other US airlines.
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
