American Airlines fined $50M for violating disability laws

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced a $50 million fine against American Airlines for its alleged mistreatment of passengers with disabilities, which the department said in some cases caused injuries.

The fine is 25 times larger than the any other fine by the department for disability related violations, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a conference call with reporters.

The airline between 2019 and 2023 “provided unsafe and undignified physical assistance to passengers on a number of occasions that, at times, resulted in injuries,” Buttigieg said.

“They repeatedly failed to provide prompt wheelchair assistance, and they damaged thousands of passengers’ wheelchairs, which left passengers without the device they need to live their life fully,” he said.

American Airlines said in a statement Wednesday it reached a settlement with the Department of Transportation, and that it has been making efforts to improve its performance with passengers who need wheelchairs or other mobility devices.

It said that since 2022 its mishandled wheelchair and scooter rate decreased by 20%. It also said it “invested more than $175 million in services, infrastructure, training and new technology” to improve service.

“American has a long-standing commitment to serving passengers with disabilities,” the airline said.

“This year, American invested over $175 million in service, infrastructure and training to improve the travel experience for customers traveling with wheelchairs or other mobility devices,” Julie Rath, SVP of airport operations, reservations, and service recovery at American, said in a statement.

American Airlines may not be alone in violations of laws that protect travelers with disabilities. 

Buttigieg said there are investigations into other airlines, although he noted that “American Airlines appear to be one of the worst offenders.”

“The problems that we have uncovered in our investigation are not confined to one airline,” Buttigieg said. “We have other active investigations into a number of U.S. airlines for similar violations.”

A Department of Transportation official said that in the years the agency looked at, from 2019 to 2023, American Airlines had the second-highest mishandling rate, and it had the second-highest number of reported mishandlings each year.

American Airlines said in 2023 that it transported more than 146,000 wheelchairs and other mobility devices.

American Airlines had the third-largest domestic market share over between August of 2023 and July of 2024 with 17.4%, but it, Delta and Southwest all hovered at around that level, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

The airline reported this year that it and its partners operated nearly 2 million flights in 2023.