American Airlines Hit with Record $50 Million Fine for Mistreating Disabled Passengers

American Airlines been slapped with a record $50 million fine by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) following an investigation that revealed the carrier has repeatedly flouted regulations designed to protect disabled passengers.

The DOT investigation, assisted by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), found that the Fort Worth-based airline committed ‘numerous serious violations’ of laws surrounding the protection of disabled air passengers between 2019 and 2023.

Viral Video Triggers Investigation

The investigation followed a viral video posted on TikTok in November 2023 that showed baggage handlers dropping a passenger’s wheelchair down a ramp at Miami International Airport (MIA).

@cnn A video of baggage handlers at Miami International Airport mishandling a passenger’s wheelchair has caused outrage online. CNN’s Rosemary Church has the details. #wheelchair #airport #MIA #cnn #news ♬ original sound – CNN

Under DOT regulations, domestic airlines are required to return mobility devices to passengers in the condition they were received and provide disabled passengers with timely assistance when boarding and deboarding aircraft and when traveling within airports.

During its investigation, the DOT found that American Airlines violated passenger protection laws on numerous occasions, including instances of undignified treatment of passengers and careless physical assistance that caused injury to wheelchair users.

It also discovered thousands of cases where wheelchairs were damaged or were delayed in being returned to their owners, resulting in disabled passengers being stranded without their mobility devices.

Uncommon Penalties

American Airlines is certainly not the only U.S. carrier guilty of violating disabled passenger protection rules, and the DOT confirmed in its statement that it is currently investigating other airlines on similar grounds.

However, penalties for these violations are relatively uncommon, and the $50 million fine handed out to American is by far the largest of its kind, with the DOT claiming it’s 25 times larger than the previous largest fine handed out to an airline for violating disabled passenger protection laws.

Photo: American Airlines gates. Courtesy of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

In 2016, the Department handed a $2.75 million fine to United Airlines due to multiple cases of mishandling disabled passengers and leaving them stranded on the tarmac. However, this latest penalty issued to American Airlines far exceeds that, sending a message to other carriers of DOT’s zero tolerance towards mistreating disabled passengers and their mobility devices.

Government Response

“The era of tolerating poor treatment of airline passengers with disabilities is over,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “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 a 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.”

Photo: United’s wheelchair booking tool. Courtesy of United

Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, added: “We applaud the Department of Transportation’s landmark civil rights agreement to uphold the dignity of passengers with disabilities in air travel.

“The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities have the freedom to travel independently. Travelers with disabilities must be confident they will receive timely assistance and arrive safely, with their mobility aids and assistive devices intact.”

Penalty Terms

Under the terms of the penalty, American Airlines will be required to pay $25 million to the U.S. Treasury, while the remaining $25 million must be invested in infrastructure and technology designed to reduce incidents of mistreatment, as well as compensation towards affected passengers. Failure to do so will result in the remaining $25 million being paid to the U.S. Treasury.

American Airlines has responded to the DOT’s ruling, saying it is committed to improving the travel experience for its passengers with disabilities. According to the airline, it has invested over $175 million to improve its procedures this year, resulting in a 20 percent decrease in wheelchair and scooter mishandling since 2022.

“Despite these improvements, there are instances where the service the airline provides is disrupted, untimely, or results in harm to the passenger or their equipment,” said American Airlines in a statement. “American takes all these complaints seriously, and it works hard to remediate them.”