close
close

Solondais

Where news breaks first, every time

    • sinolod

    American Airlines fined $50 million for wheelchair damage

    Mars Posted on

    play

    The Department of Transportation fined American Airlines $50 million on Wednesday for mistreating passengers with disabilities.

    According to the DOT, American had the worst record among major U.S. airlines for damage to wheelchairs and other mobility devices between 2019 and 2023, and also performed poorly in providing timely assistance in wheelchair and dignified transfers for disabled passengers. One incident highlighted by the DOT is a November 2023 episode in which American baggage handlers dropped a wheelchair on a baggage ramp.

    “The era of tolerating mistreatment of disabled air passengers is over,” DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “With this sanction, we are setting a new standard of accountability for airlines that violate the civil rights of passengers with disabilities. By setting penalties at levels beyond just the cost of doing business for airlines, we aim to change the way the industry behaves and prevent this type of abuse from happening in the first place.

    Paralyzed Veterans of America, which the Department of Transportation said was responsible for three of the complaints against American that were investigated, welcomed the DOT’s decision.

    “We are pleased to see the DOT make such a strong statement on how it will hold airlines accountable for endangering the well-being of passengers with disabilities, particularly wheelchair and scooter users. We are confident that this unprecedented application will send a message to the entire airline industry that passengers with reduced mobility deserve to travel with the same level of safety and dignity as everyone else,” said Carl Blake, CEO of PVA, in a press release.

    American Airlines acknowledged the fine and said it was committed to improving it. In fact, he noted that he had increased investments in accessibility long before the DOT issued its fine.

    “This year, American has invested more than $175 million in services, infrastructure and training to improve the travel experience for customers traveling in wheelchairs or other mobility devices,” said Julie Rath, American’s senior vice president of airport operations, reservations and service recovery, in a statement. statement. “Today’s agreement reaffirms American’s commitment to caring for all of its customers.”

    The airline highlighted that it recorded a 22% improvement in the number of wheelchair mishandling incidents between September 2022 and September 2024. Its investments include the ability for customers to obtain a generated wheelchair tag automatically rather than relying on handwritten documentation for verified mobility devices. The airline is also investing in better mobility device handling equipment at several of its airports and better training for its team members who handle mobility devices and interact with passengers with disabilities. Many advocates said improved and increased training is an important step for airlines to take.

    “Ultimately, we want our customers to feel 100 percent taken care of during their trip,” Rath told USA TODAY in an interview. “We’re always striving to improve. We’re not going to stop until we achieve zero wheelchair incidents.”

    The DOT said it was conducting investigations into similar issues at other airlines, but officials did not say when those would be concluded or what penalties might result.

    How common is wheelchair damage on airplanes?

    U.S. airlines typically damage between 10,000 and 15,000 wheelchairs per year, and although this represents less than 1.5% of the total number of mobility devices they carry, it is a major problem for affected travelers.

    “If you need a particular type of wheelchair equipment and the airline damages or destroys your wheelchair, it not only ruins your trip, it can also affect your home after your trip is over, in some cases cases for weeks, or worse,” Buttigieg said. said during a press call announcing the fine.

    Over the course of 2023, USA TODAY spoke with more than 30 travelers whose mobility devices were damaged or destroyed by U.S. airlines, and many said the process of waiting for repairs or replacements Replacements took months, often leaving them confined to their homes in the meantime.

    One affected traveler said damage to the wheelchair forced him to stay home from work for two weeks. “Two weeks of work is food out of my children’s mouths,” they said.

    Many affected travelers also said that having their wheelchair damaged was the equivalent of having their legs broken by an airline while traveling, and said it would obviously be unacceptable for travelers who do not rely on a wheelchair to have 1.5% chance of losing mobility after traveling. flight.

    Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected].

    Mars
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like