“It is our duty to ensure that travellers with disabilities have access to the services they need and that when significant tarmac delays happen, travellers are not left on the plane,” said US Transportation Secretary, Anthony Foxx. “We will make sure that airlines comply with our rules and treat their passengers fairly.”
The Department of Transportation investigation found that United failed to provide passengers with disabilities prompt and adequate assistance with enplaning and deplaning aircraft and with moving through the terminal at Houston International airport, Chicago O’Hare International airport, Denver International airport, Newark International airport, and Dulles International airport. It was also found that in numerous cases the airline had failed to return passengers’ wheelchairs, other mobility aids, or assistive devices in a timely manner or in the condition in which the airline received them.
Of the US$2m assessed for these violations, United will spend US$150,000 to improve quality assurance audits of United’s wheelchair vendor(s), including tracking the time period within which wheelchair assistance is provided to passengers with disabilities, and $500,000 towards a pilot programme to develop and implement technology that assists passengers with disabilities in making requests for wheelchair and other disability-related assistance at the airport via United’s mobile app.
The DOT credited United Airlines with US$650,000 for compensation it provided to consumers who filed disability-related complaints with the airline in 2014. “We expect this to greatly improve our ability to have wheelchairs where they need to be when they need to be there so that our customers can get on their way home or to their next destination with ease,” Jon Roitman, United's senior VP of airport operations said.
United Airlines joins Delta Air Lines in the shortlist of recipients of the largest penalty the DOT ever assessed against an airline.
