American Airlines fined $50M for damaging wheelchairs
FORT WORTH, Texas - American Airlines is facing a record fine for mishandling disabled passengers and damaging wheelchairs.
The U.S. Department of Transportation ordered the airline to pay $50 million.
An investigation found that the Fort Worth-based carrier mishandled more than 10,000 wheelchairs and scooters between 2019 and 2023.
"The most common complaint that we get from our members is their experience in air travel," said Paralyzed Veterans of America CEO Carl Blake.
Airlines are required to return wheelchairs and scooters to customers quickly and undamaged after flights.
(Getty Images)
The Department of Transportation said its investigation included three formal complaints filed by the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
The organization’s CEO said in some cases, wheelchair passengers were also injured. One of them was the organization’s past president.
"He had multiple complaints that we filed on his behalf. He was injured twice personally by bodily injury. And I think in every case, he had some component of his wheelchair damage," Blake said. "If a wheelchair is damaged, that is akin to someone losing their legs, their inability to function normally."
American Airlines said it has stepped up training and is taking "significant actions" to improve the travel experience for people traveling with wheelchairs and mobility devices.
As part of the $50 million penalty, the airline must pay a $25 million fine to the U.S. Treasury and must spend the other $25 million on "investments in equipment" to reduce the number of incidents.
Profit falls despite higher revenue at Southwest and American airlines
Southwest Airlines made an announcement about its new seating policy on the same day that both it and American Airlines reported a steep drop in second-quarter profit despite higher revenue.
The Department of Transportation said this is a new precedent as to how the agency will enforce such violations moving forward.
"With this penalty, we are setting a new standard of accountability for airlines that violate the civil rights of passengers with disabilities," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
Blake said other carriers are not blameless. He thinks they all need to do better.
But he called this a start.