American Airlines fined $50M over wheelchair access, damage

The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a $50 million penalty to American Airlines on Wednesday for mistreating passengers with disabilities. The agency alleges the company provided improper physical assistance to customers and their wheelchairs, resulting in reported injuries spanning 2019 to 2023. 

“The era of tolerating poor treatment of airline passengers with disabilities is over,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

The DOT reviewed a range of complaints from individuals and the group Paralyzed Veterans of America, in addition to incidents captured on video documenting workers mishandling passengers’ wheelchairs. 

“By setting penalties at levels beyond a mere cost of doing business for airlines, we’re aiming to change how the industry behaves and prevent these kinds of abuses from happening in the first place,” Buttigieg told reporters.

Despite the agreement, American Airlines denies claims of legal wrongdoing. 

“American states that it enters into this agreement for settlement purposes only and does not admit any violation of any statute or regulation, waive any statute of limitations, or concede the Department’s statement of applicable law or recitation of facts and conclusions,” the company wrote in its response to the consent order. 

The airline said it spent $175 million this year on services, infrastructure, training, and new technology to support passengers who use mobility devices when traveling.

Under the terms of the penalty, the airline is required to pay a $25 million fine to the U.S. Treasury. 

The company will also put $25 million towards investments in equipment to reduce incidents of wheelchair damage, a systemwide wheelchair tagging system to reduce delays, deployment of hub control center for employees to coordinate wheelchair handling at large airports, and compensation for affected passengers during the timeframe covered by DOT’s investigation, according to their release.

If these expenditures are not made, the additional $25 million will be paid as a fine to the U.S. Treasury. 

DOT has been working to ensure airline passengers with disabilities are properly accommodated. Last year, the agency enacted a final rule law establishing parameters to improve the accessibility of lavatories on single-aisle aircraft and in 2022 published the Disabilities Bill of Rights outlining customers’ entitlements.