Late last month, the U.S. Department of Transportation made headlines when it announced a fine of $50 million, levied against American Airlines for its repeated discrimination against disabled passengers from 2019 to 2023. The fine was in response to thousands of damaged wheelchairs and mistreated passengers.
I have reported on the discriminatory practices and culture at American Airlines for years, and it is clear that a fine was warranted:
- American Airlines Refuses to Return Wheelchair, Threatens Disabled Passenger with Arrest in New York
- American Airlines Agent Tosses Wheelchair Down Baggage Chute, Violent Crash Ensues
- American Airlines Dropped My Wheelchair — And Planned to Hide It
- After 100+ Days, American Airlines Still Hasn’t Repaired My Wheelchair
- American Airlines Policy Effectively Bans Power Wheelchair Users from Flying to 130 U.S. Airports
- American Airlines is Leaving Wheelchairs Behind and They Don’t Know Why
- Airlines Are Training Complaint Resolution Officials to Break the Law
- Everything You Need to Know About Wheelchair Handling at American Airlines in One Photo
- Shocking Video: American Airlines Mishandles Power Wheelchair in Miami
Suffice it to say, American Airlines is not one of the good guys. One might expect the carrier to reverse course following a historic fine, but I don’t think that will happen. The pattern and practice of violations is likely to continue.
Last week, I experienced a particularly egregious violation that I intend to document in a future article and file as a formal complaint — meaning, the complaint will appear in the DOT’s docket and be a public record, open for everyone to see.
When asked about my perspective on the $50 million fine, I have commented that it was not enough — American Airlines has caused billions in misery for disabled passengers and there has been little effort by the carrier to remedy its failures. If you have flown or plan to fly with American Airlines, be sure to report any disability-related incidents to the USDOT. For an airline with a $10 billion market cap, that $50 million fine (half of which will be credited to past and future planned expenditures) is a drop in the bucket. Make of this what you will, but Robert Isom, the CEO of American Airlines, collected a $31.4 million compensation package in 2023.
The DOT noted that investigations of other carriers are ongoing, and I welcome that — asking only, what took so long?
