Kehinde Fajobi
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined American Airlines $50 million for violating laws that protect individuals with disabilities.
The fine follows an investigation revealing instances of unsafe physical assistance and mistreatment of wheelchair users, which sometimes resulted in injuries and undignified treatment.
The DOT investigation uncovered “repeated failures to provide prompt wheelchair assistance” and found that American Airlines mishandled thousands of wheelchairs, either damaging them or delaying their return to passengers.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, commenting on the fine, said, “The era of tolerating poor treatment of airline passengers with disabilities is over. With this penalty, we are setting a new standard of accountability for airlines that violate the civil rights of passengers with disabilities.”
Buttigieg also noted that the $50 million fine was set intentionally high to force changes in industry practices.
Regulations require airlines to return wheelchairs and mobility devices in good condition and provide timely assistance to disabled passengers.