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Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced a $50M penalty against American Airlines for numerous serious violations of the laws protecting airline passengers with disabilities between 2019 and 2023.

DOT’s investigation into American Airlines uncovered cases of unsafe physical assistance that at times resulted in injuries and undignified treatment of wheelchair users, in addition to repeated failures to provide prompt wheelchair assistance. American also mishandled thousands of wheelchairs by damaging them or delaying their return, leaving travelers without the device they need for mobility.

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

DOT regulations require airlines to timely return wheelchairs and other mobility devices in the condition in which they were received and to provide passengers with disabilities prompt assistance to get on and off aircraft including moving within the airport. The Department also considers violations of these regulations for those traveling on domestic flights to be a failure to provide safe and adequate service. In July 2022, DOT published the first-ever Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights to help travelers understand what they’re entitled to when they fly.

Inadequate Assistance, Mishandling of Wheelchairs

In its investigation of American Airlines, DOT reviewed complaints against the airline involving allegations of inadequate wheelchair assistance, including three formal complaints filed by Paralyzed Veterans of America alleging similar issues.

DOT also investigated American’s handling of wheelchairs between 2019 and 2023, including an incident captured on video at the Miami International Airport of American’s personnel mishandling a wheelchair by dropping it down a baggage ramp. American had been one of the worst performers among U.S. airlines in terms of both the total number of wheelchairs and scooters mishandling claims and the rate of mishandling claims, and DOT’s investigation revealed a significant number of violations.

These problems are not unique to American Airlines; DOT has active investigations into similar violations at other U.S. airlines. However, today’s enforcement action is 25 times larger than DOT’s previous largest airline penalty for violations of disability protections and sets a new precedent for how DOT will enforce against such violations going forward.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division provided valuable assistance and advice to DOT during the negotiation of this penalty.

As part of today’s $50 million penalty, American Airlines will be required to pay a $25 million fine to the U.S. Treasury. In addition, American Airlines will be credited $25 million towards the total penalty for investments in equipment to reduce incidents of wheelchair damage, investments in a systemwide wheelchair tagging system to reduce incidents of wheelchair delay, deployment of hub control center employees to coordinate wheelchair handling on a systemwide basis at large airports, and compensation for affected passengers during the timeframe covered by DOT’s investigation.

If these expenditures are not made, the additional $25 million will be paid as a fine to the U.S. Treasury.

Read the consent order here.

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