American Airlines Fined $50 Million for Treatment of Passengers Using Wheelchairs

23.10.2024 - 10:51 / nytimes.com / Pete Buttigieg

Saying that American Airlines mistreated disabled air travelers who use wheelchairs, the U.S. Transportation Department on Wednesday announced a $50 million fine against the carrier. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the agency’s penalty the highest ever levied against an airline for violating protections for fliers with disabilities.

The Transportation Department said that its investigation, which included reviewing complaints filed against American between 2019 and 2023, revealed “cases of unsafe physical assistance that at times resulted in injuries and undignified treatment of wheelchair users, in addition to repeated failures to provide prompt wheelchair assistance.”

In their complaints, passengers reported being roughly handled, even dropped on the ground, and their wheelchairs, which can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars, being damaged beyond repair. At Miami International Airport, a ramp agent reportedly dropped a wheelchair down a baggage ramp, which then ricocheted onto the tarmac. At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, American employees dropped a passenger on the floor while transferring her from an aisle chair to her seat on the plane. Another traveler, flying from Portland to Dallas, said that his personal power wheelchair so damaged during transit that he had to use a broken wheelchair for a month while he awaited a replacement.

“The era of tolerating poor treatment of airline passengers with disabilities is over,” Mr. Buttigieg said in a statement. “By setting penalties at levels beyond a mere cost of doing business for airlines, we’re aiming to change how the industry behaves and prevent these kinds of abuses from happening in the first place.”

American will pay half of the $50 million fine to the U.S. Treasury, with the company required to use the remaining $25 million for passenger compensation and equipment and systems upgrades aimed at reducing wheelchair delays and damages.

In a statement, the carrier said that it had a “longstanding commitment to serving passengers with disabilities” and that it would continue “significant actions” to improve their travel experience.