American Airlines Fined $50 Million Over Failing To Aid Passengers Using Wheelchairs
HuffPost
The U.S. government is fining American Airlines $50 million for failing to provide wheelchair assistance to passengers with disabilities and damaging thousands of wheelchairs.
DALLAS (AP) — The U.S. government fined American Airlines $50 million for failing to provide wheelchair assistance to passengers with disabilities and damaging thousands of wheelchairs over a five-year period.
The Transportation Department said Wednesday that “in some cases,” wheelchair users were injured, but it did not give a number.
American said it has made significant investments to improve the handling of wheelchairs. The airline will be credited $25 million, or half of its civil penalty, for those investments and compensation paid to affected passengers, according to a consent order.
The incidents raised by the Transportation Department occurred between 2019 and 2023.
The investigation was prompted in part by three formal complaints the Paralyzed Veterans of America filed against American.