American Airlines to pay record $50 million fine over its treatment of disabled passengers

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

Updated on: October 23, 2024 / 8:12 AM EDT


American Airlines has agreed to a record $50 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Transportation for violating laws that protect airline passengers with disabilities.

In an investigation into the carrier, the Transportation Department said it uncovered numerous infractions, including cases of American providing "unsafe physical assistance" to passengers. The alleged treatment "at times resulted in injuries and undignified treatment of wheelchair users," the agency said in an announcement Wednesday.

The agency also accused American of mishandling or damaging thousands of passengers' wheelchairs from 2019 to 2023, leaving them without their mobility devices.

"The era of tolerating poor treatment of airline passengers with disabilities is over," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement Wednesday. "With this penalty, 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 the 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," he said.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-airlines-50-million-fine-settlement-passengers-with-disabilities/

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U.S. Department of Transportation PRESS RELEASE - DOT Issues Landmark $50 Million Penalty Against American Airlines for Its Treatment of Passengers with Disabilities

[Mr.Bill]

1. I can't wait to show this to my wife

when she gets home from her Doctor's appointment. About ten years ago she was treated very badly by American Airlines at LAX. She had broken her ankle in Washington DC and had been issued a wheelchair. He plane arrived late at LAX and she missed her connection to SFO, forcing her to spend several hours overnight at LAX.

At midnight they took her wheelchair away and locked it up. She asked how she was going to use the restroom which was around 50 yards away. She had no crutches. They told her to crawl. They told her the same thing the next morning when she tried to board the plane with the wheelchair.

She reported the whole incident to American Airlines. She had the names of everyone she had a bad experience with. The said they investigated the whole thing and found it never happened.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. I know this won't help to personally salve the pain that AA caused with her incident

but at least this shows that she wasn't alone. As part of a consent decree, unfortunately it only goes back to 2019 and forward and those impacted during that period are due to be compensated as well, but they are on the "it" list now.

[Mr.Bill]

3. Yes, her incident happened years before 2019.

She was not seeking financial assistance, rather she was seeking steps being taken to see it does not happen again. She will see this as validation.

[littlemissmartypants]

4. ❤️

[Wonder Why]

5. They need to put the squeeze on Amtrak also. As much as I like and take the

long distance service, their attitude and unwillingness to look outside the box for the elderly and disabled is atrocious.