Airline employees and contractors who physically assist passengers with disabilities and their wheelchairs or scooters must now receive annual hands-on training. The final rule was announced Dec. 16, 2024, by Pete Buttigieg, who at that time was secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The training requirement in the “Ensuring Safe Accommodations for Air…
DOT: Education Now Mandatory for Airline Employees Handling Wheelchairs, People with Disabilities
American Airlines Fined $50 Million for Mistreating Wheelchair Riders, Mobility Devices
Department of Transportation fine is the largest penalty assessed against an airline for violating disability regulations.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined American Airlines $50 million for mistreating passengers using wheelchairs, and for mishandling those passengers’ wheelchairs and other mobility equipment. The DOT made the announcement in late October and noted that the fine “is 25 times larger than any previous DOT penalty against an airline for violating disability…