American Airlines fined $50 million for its treatment of passengers with disabilities

Citing "numerous serious violations" of the laws protecting airline passengers with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Transportation fined American Airlines $50 million on Wednesday.

The penalty follows an investigation by the DOT that found violations at American over a four-year period between 2019 and 2023.

The DOT says 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." The investigation also determined American mishandled thousands of wheelchairs by damaging them or delaying their return.