The U.S. government fined American Airlines $50 million for failing to provide wheelchair assistance to passengers with disabilities and damaging thousands of wheelchairs over a five-year period, according to the Associated Press. The Transportation Department said today that “in some cases,” wheelchair users were injured, but it did not give a number.
American said it has made significant investments to improve the handling of wheelchairs. The airline will be credited $25 million, or half of its civil penalty, for those investments and compensation paid to affected passengers, according to a consent order.
The incidents raised by the Transportation Department occurred between 2019 and 2023. The investigation was prompted in part by three formal complaints the Paralyzed Veterans of America filed against American.
From 2019 through 2023, American mishandled more than 10,760 wheelchairs and mobility scooters, according to Transportation Department figures. Only Southwest Airlines, at more than 11,100, had more incidents. Spirit Airlines had the highest percentage of errors in several of the years, according to the department.
American said it has invested more than $175 million this year on infrastructure, training, and other steps to improve the travel experience for people with disabilities.
American said it has cut its rate of mishandling wheelchairs and power scooters by more than 20%, and fewer than one in every 1,000 customers who ask for wheelchair assistance wind up complaining to the airline.
