US fines American Airlines $50m after Lufthansa fined $4m for discrimination against American-Jew passengers
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
American Airlines has been slammed with a $50 million fine by the United States government after repeat violations of the rules designed to protect airline passengers who use wheelchairs.
The Department of Transportation imposed the hefty fine after multi-agency investigation uncovered perennial breaches of the rules, and it comes weeks after the department imposed a $4 penalty on Lufthansa for discrimination against American-Jew flyers in 2022.
Nigeria’s Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo recently borrowed a leaf from the US by directing foreign airlines to engage Nigerian caterers to serve both local and intercontinental dishes on outbound flights.
Keyamo condemned the long-standing practice of airlines bringing frozen meals from other countries and reheating them for Nigerian passengers on outbound flights, stressing that the method is no longer acceptable.
He gave an assurance to the airlines that Nigeria has quality control agencies to monitor the hygiene and safety standards of meals prepared by local caterers.
The investigation in the US by the Department of Transportation aided by the Justice Department’s civil rights division found that American Airlines made “numerous serious violations” of disabled passenger rules between 2019 and 2023, per reporting by CNN.
In announcing the fine, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters that American mishandled and damaged “thousands” of wheelchairs and failed to provide adequate assistance to disabled passengers, causing significant safety issues and an inconvenience for customers.
“One traveler with a disability told us in her words, ‘I was made to feel like a piece of luggage, so I do not fly anymore,’” Buttigieg said. “The bottom line is that the era of tolerating the poor treatment of wheelchair users on airplanes is over.”
The issue was highlighted in a November 2023 in a TikTok post that showed American Airlines baggage handlers sliding a wheelchair down a chute attached to an airport jetway.
“These problems are not unique to American Airlines, and allegations of wheelchair mishandling and inadequate wheelchair assistance are far too common,” the Department of Transportation announcement said.
“DOT has active investigations into similar violations at other US airlines.”
Buttigieg noted the fine is the largest ever of its type. As part of the order against American, the DOT is also requiring the airline spend $25 million as a “credit” toward the total $50 million fine to reduce cases of damaged wheelchairs and make significant infrastructure upgrades.
If the agency finds that American does not meet that requirement, it will fine it the airline the remaining $25 million.
American Airlines explained in a statement it has already spent $175 million this year on “services, infrastructure, training and new technology,” leading to a 20% improvement in its wheelchair and scooter handling rating since 2022.
“Despite these improvements, there are instances where the service the airline provides is disrupted, untimely, or results in harm to the passenger or their equipment,” American said in a statement.
“American takes all these complaints and claims seriously and works hard to remediate them.”
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