An Arizona woman has filed a complaint against Dallas-based 
Southwest Airlines
after the carrier
damaged a basketball team’s wheelchairs amid a cross-country trip for a national championship earlier this year
. Months later, the frustrated woman is alleging the low-cost airline violated federal laws regarding the treatment of disabled passengers.
The complaint accuses Southwest of having a poor deplaning process and being the subject of a series of incidents at three airports. It comes after American Airlines was fined $50 million for mishandling wheelchairs
and not adequately assisting passengers with disabilities.
Damaging wheelchairs and failing to compensate
Myranda Shields, who is a member of the Ability360 Wheelchair basketball team, filed the complaint along with disability rights organizations on October 9th, according to Phoenix local NBC affiliate 12 News.
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The complaint calls out Southwest to the US Department of Transportation (DOT)
and references the 1986 Air Carrier Access Act. It reportedly says Southwest damaged three wheelchairs during a “catastrophic deplaning process.” It also accuses the airline of not compensating one passenger for damaging his wheelchair.
Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying
A series of mishaps, delays, and inconveniences are also reportedly outlined in the complaint. They were said to have been experienced by wheelchair users who represented three teams while traveling through airports in Denver, Chicago, and Richmond. Southwest was also accused of publicly embarrassing the passengers during one delay, according to 12 News.
“When passengers grew restless… the airline made announcements over the loudspeakers stating the large number of wheelchairs being transported were causing the delay.”
Federal law does mandate that airlines treat all passengers with respect and dignity. According to a statement obtained by 12 News, Shields hopes Southwest will be fined by regulators.
“We are hoping that hitting them where it hurts, in their pockets, we are going to see some real social change.”
Admitting mistakes
Simple Flying contacted the low-cost carrier for comment on Saturday, but the airline did not respond. However, a spokesperson told 12 News on Thursday that Southwest is “reviewing the Customer’s claim and will work with her on a resolution.” The spokesperson also reportedly said the airline recently launched a Customer Accessibility Advisory Committee to review accessibility-related policies, procedures, and training.
Photo: Norfolk International Airport
In a letter sent to Ability360 in April, Southwest’s Ground Operations Manager Shaun Harding admitted that the carrier failed the wheelchair athletes. Now, Shields is awaiting a response from the DOT.
“This is hopefully going to be another big fine for the airlines in order to create change in the way passengers with disabilities are treated,” she reportedly explained.
Doing better
The complaint also requests the department to “encourage Southwest to reevaluate its service of passengers with disabilities.” The incident also got the attention of former Phoenix Mayor and Congressman Greg Stanton, who asked the airline to ensure a strategy to fully accommodate disabled passengers
in the future.
Shields has reportedly noticed that the team overall has been receiving better treatment from Southwest on other flights since April. However, she is calling for the accountability of all airlines, as people using wheelchairs have had poor experiences for years. More than 11,500 wheelchairs were lost or damaged by airlines last year, according to the DOT.
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