An American Airlines passenger says a staff member returned her damaged wheelchair to her after a flight, saying 'oops, sorry'

09.08.2023 - 17:49 / insider.com / Airlines

A woman who traveled on an American Airlines flight in April said the airline didn't directly acknowledge her complaints after her wheelchair was returned damaged, USA Today reported on Tuesday. 

Deanna Vaillancourt-Thompson told the publication that she uses a manual wheelchair due to ongoing complications from a car accident. She said the wheelchair was returned to her with completely flat tires and a broken brake handle after a flight from San Francisco to Charlotte on April 19, and that there was more damage on the return flight home.

"The guy who brought my wheelchair up said, 'Oops, sorry,'" she told USA Today's Zach Wichter, speaking of the initial damage to her wheelchair after the first flight. 

Representatives for American Airlines didn't respond to requests for comment, but a spokesperson for the airline told USA Today in a statement that it is "committed to supporting the independence of our customers who travel with wheelchairs and assistive devices" and that a member of the team got in touch with Vaillancourt-Thompson to apologize and "fully repair the device."

Vaillancourt-Thompson told USA Today she was only able to use the chair as a walker after the first flight. She was able to reinflate the tires after checking into her hotel, however, the brake handle remained broken, she said. 

The passenger added that in her experience it's common for her wheelchair's tires to become low on air after a flight, however, it's not usually the case that the chair can't be used. 

She told the outlet that she had been traveling for the Psychiatric Service Dog Partners convention, which took place between April 21 and April 24, according to the website.

When Vaillancourt-Thompson took her return flight home after the convention, her wheelchair was returned with the other brake handle completely gone, she told the outlet. 

Global Repair Group, which works with American Airlines for mobility device repair, sent Vaillancourt-Thompson replacement parts six weeks after she returned home, she told USA Today. She added that she carried out the repairs herself. Global Repair Group did not respond to requests for comment. 

Although an airline rep told USA Today that they'd apologized to Vaillancourt-Thompson, according to the passenger, she hasn't heard from the airline directly since issuing an official complaint. 

"I haven't heard anything from American. I just heard 'sorry about that' from the manager at baggage claim, and I've never heard from them," Vaillancourt-Thompson said.

"I tried filing complaints with them and to get a hold of somebody there, and they don't reply," she added.

Vaillancourt-Thompson told USA Today she's friends with Veronica Morris, an American Airlines passenger who made news earlier