The government said its setting a new standard of accountability
of ConsumerAffairs
The U.S. Department of Transportation has fined American Airlines $50 million, claiming violations of laws that protect passengers with disabilities.
DOT said its investigation into American Airlines uncovered cases of unsafe physical assistance that at times resulted in injuries and undignified treatment of wheelchair users. The investigation reported found repeated failures to provide prompt wheelchair assistance.
The investigation report also said American 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 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.
Buttigieg said the $50 million fine was purposely set at levels beyond a mere cost of doing business for airlines, aiming to change how the industry behaves.
A disabled passenger's experience
Sumin, of Dublin, Ohio, said American lost her wheelchair on a recent trip and never took responsibility.
All I asked was that my wheelchair was to be ready at the door when I arrived, wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review. That was all I asked of them. Nobody even thought to double check and when there was clearly a problem, instead of coming forth with it and apologizing they made me wait for so long even though I had a connecting flight.
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 said it 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 theyre entitled to when they fly.
The DOT video below explains those rights:
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2024-10-23 16:59:14
