American Airlines said it will take necessary action in response to the incident.
Multiple studies have shown it , and new video evidence from social medium is proving the point : airway are way too oftencareless with wheelchairsand mobility devices .
On TikTok , a video just went viral for showing an American Airlines baggage animal trainer mishandling a rider ’s wheelchair and rakishly shoving it down a wild leek that is , according to law-abiding commenters onX(formerly Twitter ) , allow for checked dish .
" Dang , after I figure them do this and laugh with the first two wheelchair I had to get it on film , " reads the subtitle of the video , which was posted by TikTok user @haez93 . " That is not what I ’d call ' handling with care ' for someone ’s mobility equipment . "
@haez93/TikTok
According to the poster , the incident encounter Sunday around high noon at Miami International Airport . In a comment , the TikToker specifies that the video was taken at Terminal E between gate E8 and E9 . " This was the 3rd wheelchair I saw them incautiously toss and let flip out off like that , " they lend .
In June , aUSAFacts reputation , which order US airline by the percentage of wheelchairs bollocks up as reported by the US Department of Transportation , placed American Airlines in the better final stage of the list , with a ratio of 1.6 % mishandled wheelchairs . For compare ’s interest , the unsound airway in the ranking was Spirit with a mishandled wheelchair proportion of 6.3 % , while the best one was Delta ( 0.7 % ) .
But even though American Airlines is n’t infamous for foul up wheelchairs and mobility devices , the airline recognized there is still a lot of workplace to be done in a input provided to Thrillist in answer to the viral video .
" We recognize how important it is to support the independency of client with disability by ensure the right care of mobility devices throughout their journeying with us , " an American Airlines voice told Thrillist . " This visual is deeply concerning and we are gathering more item so that we can address them with our squad . We will continue to exercise firmly to improve our manipulation of assistive devices across our meshing . "
The air hose also shared that it routinely supply training for their Customer Operations team to assure appropriate handling of wheelchairs and mobility twist , and it is currently employ such teams to influence what country need further improvement . Additionally , American Airlines say it is installing wheelchair mover and lifts at various airports with high mobility equipment dealings to further patronage mobility gimmick owners .
grant toUSAFacts , wheelchairs are mishandled double as often when liken to find out bags . Just this past March , one in 175 checked bag were reported as flub , but when it came to wheelchairs , that proportion was one in 65 .
It ’s a grow emergence , too . The Department of Transportation - producedOctober 2023 Air Travel Consumer Report , in fact , demonstrated the theory . When look at information from August 2023 , 1.52 in 100 wheelchairs or scooters were mishandled by US airlines ( 1,104 total unit ) , compared to a ratio of 1.42 in August of last twelvemonth . Looking at wider time periods wo n’t really alter the upshot . According to the department’sMay 2023 Air Travel Consumer Report , between January and March of this yr US airlines flub 2,547 wheelchair and scooters . During the same clip full stop last year , the reported routine for the same way out was 2,028 .
Disability advocates are presently waiting for airline business to make the necessary accessible adjustment to permit wheelchair and sea scooter user to get on the plane without have to transplant off their gimmick , and some of them , includingDelta , have already foretell that fresh accessible feature are underway . In the meantime , though , what advocates and the public can do is assay and hold airline business accountable .
