Trump administration waives $16.7 million in fines for American Airlines over wheelchair issues
- - Trump administration waives $16.7 million in fines for American Airlines over wheelchair issues
By David ShepardsonDecember 9, 2025 at 5:46 PM
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An American Airlines plane arrives at LaGuardia Airport in the Queens borough of New York City, U.S., November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department said Tuesday it will waive $16.7 million in fines issued to American Airlines under then President Joe Biden in 2024 as part of a settlement over the air carrier's treatment of disabled passengers, including failing to provide some with adequate assistance and mishandling wheelchairs.
USDOT said it will instead require American to spend $16.8 million to benefit passengers with disabilities, including requiring American to buy 119 additional wheelchair lifts at Miami, Philadelphia, and Chicago O'Hare airports as well as mobile devices and software enhancements that will allow American to track and record passenger wheelchairs point-by-point as they move through the transport process.
"This is a better solution than sending money to the U.S. Treasury because now real, tangible benefits will go to the traveling public," the department said.
Under the original settlement in 2024, American agreed to pay $25 million in fines over three years and was credited with $25 million for investments to address the issues and goodwill compensation to impacted passengers, USDOT said last year.
American said in a statement it is 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," the airline said.
In 2024, USDOT said the fine was 25 times larger than the previous highest airline penalty for disability protection violations, setting a "new precedent" for future enforcement. The department said it uncovered cases of "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."
American had also mishandled thousands of wheelchairs by damaging them or delaying their return, making it among the worst performers on that front among U.S. carriers, the department said.
USDOT said American must complete purchases of wheelchair movers and lifts by December 2026 and implement the wheelchair tracking system by May 2027.
Late on Friday, USDOT 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 during a busy holiday travel period that stranded more than 2 million passengers. The department cited Southwest's decision to invest over $1 billion in its operations in its decision to waive the remaining fine imposed during the Biden administration.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington)
Source: “AOL Breaking”
