Skift Take
The fine is one of the largest an airline has ever received for disability-related violations. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the DOT wanted the fine to “set a new standard.”
The Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that it would fine American Airlines $50 million for “numerous serious violations of the laws” that protect passengers with disabilities.
The fine is one of the largest an airline has received for such violations.
“Today's penalty, which is 25 times larger than any previous U.S. DOT penalty for disability-related violations, is intended to set a new standard for our department to respond to these kinds of abuses,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a call with reporters.
From 2019 to 2023, the department said it found instances of unsafe physical assistance that had so