United States President Donald Trump and the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced they would waive $16.7 million in fines issued to American Airlines over issues related to disabled passengers.
According to Reuters.com, American Airlines received the fines during former President Joe Biden’s time in office and were related to the carrier’s treatment of disabled passengers, including failing to provide some with adequate assistance and mishandling wheelchairs.
Instead of the traditional fine, the DOT is forcing American to reinvest $16.8 million to benefit passengers with disabilities, including the purchase of 119 additional wheelchair lifts at airports in Miami, Philadelphia, and Chicago.
In addition, American will be forced to invest in mobile devices and software enhancements that allow the airline to track and record passenger wheelchairs throughout each journey. The DOT said the two-part changes must be implemented by December 2026 and May 2027, respectively.
“This is a better solution than sending money to the U.S. Treasury because now real, tangible benefits will go to the traveling public,” a DOT spokesperson told Reuters.
In response to the plan of action from the DOT, American said it was “committed to supporting the independence of travelers with disabilities.”
“With this agreement, instead of money simply going to the U.S. Treasury, American will invest millions more to further improve the travel experience for customers who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices,” an airline spokesperson told Reuters.
As part of the original fine levied in 2024, American agreed to pay $25 million in penalties over three years and was credited with “$25 million for investments to address the issues and goodwill compensation to impacted passengers.”
At the time, the DOT said it had discovered “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.”
Last week, the DOT agreed to waive an $11 million fine imposed on Southwest Airlines as part of a $140 million settlement over the carrier’s meltdown in December 2022.
Credit to: Travelpulse
