DALLAS– The US government has imposed a fine US airlines $50 million for failure to provide wheelchair assistance to passengers with disabilities and damage thousands of wheelchairs over a five-year period,
The Department of Transport said Wednesday that “in some cases” wheelchair users were injured, but did not provide a figure.
American said it has made significant investments to improve the dealing with wheelchairs. The airline will receive $25 million, or half of the civil penalty, for the investments and compensation paid to affected passengers, according to a consent order.
The incidents reported by the Transportation Department occurred between 2019 and 2023.
The investigation was prompted in part by three formal complaints filed against American by the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Investigators also seized video from an incident at Miami International Airport last year. Workers pushed one wheelchair down a baggage ramp. It crashed into the bottom of the chute, tipped over and skittered across the concrete.
Secretary of Transport Pete Buttigieg said American Airlines “appeared to be one of the worst offenders,” but the problems researchers found “are not limited to one airline.” He said the department is conducting similar investigations into other airlines, but he would not name them.
“The era of tolerating poor treatment of wheelchair users on airplanes is over,” Buttigieg told reporters.
According to figures from the Transportation Department, Americans mishandled more than 10,760 wheelchairs and mobility scooters between 2019 and 2023. Only Southwest Airlineswith more than 11,100, had more incidents. Spirit Airlines according to the department, had the highest error rate in several years.
American said it has invested more than $175 million this year in infrastructure, training and other steps to improve the travel experience for people with disabilities.
American said it has reduced the misuse of wheelchairs and electric scooters by more than 20%, and fewer than one in 1,000 customers request wheelchair assistance end up complaining to the airline.
The penalty for American is much harsher than the Department of Transportation has imposed on other airlines that it found had violated laws protecting travelers with disabilities. The previous record fine was $2 million against United Airlines in 2016, which was reduced to $700,000 after United received credit for compensating passengers and other expenses.
Department officials said the size of the fine against American reflected the high number of incidents, including damaging wheelchairs or taking too long to return them to passengers after flights.
Federal regulations require airlines to return wheelchairs and scooters to customers quickly and undamaged after flights, and to help passengers with disabilities move around airports and get on and off planes. Airlines must pay for repairs or replacement of damaged wheelchairs, but advocates say this could still leave users without a suitable way to travel for weeks.