American Airlines Fined $50 Million for Mishandling Wheelchairs and Injuring Disabled Passengers

Oct 23, 2024, 12:05 PM

American Airlines has been fined a record $50 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation for violating laws that protect airline passengers with disabilities. The Fort Worth-based carrier was found to have mistreated passengers with disabilities over a five-year period from 2019 to 2023, including failing to provide adequate wheelchair assistance, which in some cases caused injuries, and mishandling thousands of wheelchairs. The Biden administration cited serious accessibility violations in imposing the largest-ever civil penalty of its kind against the airline.