American Airlines Fined $50M Over Disability Laws

October 23, 2024 Business, Travel

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced a $50 million fine against American Airlines for its alleged mistreatment of passengers with disabilities, which the department said in some cases caused injuries.

The fine is 25 times larger than the any other fine by the department for disability related violations, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a conference call with reporters. The airline between 2019 and 2023 “provided unsafe and undignified physical assistance to passengers on a number of occasions that, at times, resulted in injuries,” Buttigieg said.

“They repeatedly failed to provide prompt wheelchair assistance, and they damaged thousands of passengers’ wheelchairs, which left passengers without the device they need to live their life fully,” he said.

Read the full article.

The era of tolerating mistreatment of airline passengers with disabilities is over.

Today, our department is announcing a $50 million penalty against American Airlines for numerous serious violations of the rights of wheelchair users. https://t.co/owILXd7aYf

— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) October 23, 2024