DOT SETS NEW STANDARD FOR DISABILITY SERVICE VIOLATIONS
November 4, 2024
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On October 23, 2024, American Airlines was penalized $50 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) for failing to provide adequate and dignified service to wheelchair users. Following an extensive investigation, DOT determined that American committed recurring violations of the Air Carrier Access Act (“ACAA”) from 2019 through 2023. In addition to noting that American failed to provide passengers with disabilities sufficient wheelchair assistance when enplaning and deplaning, DOT also cited American for an ACAA violation which drew widespread public condemnation when American crew members were filmed mishandling a disabled passenger’s wheelchair by sending the wheelchair crashing down and off a steep ramp. The airline has since introduced the American Airlines Accessibility Plan to improve the experience of passengers with disabilities. Since launching the two-year initiative, the mishandling rate for mobility devices on American flights declined 36 percent. In the last few years, DOT has assessed nearly $225 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection and civil rights violations, contrasted with only $71 million over the prior two decades.
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