American Airlines to pay record $50 million fine over its treatment of disabled passengers

American Airlines has agreed to a record $50 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Transportation for violating laws that protect airline passengers with disabilities. 

In an investigation into the carrier, the Transportation Department said it uncovered numerous infractions, including cases of American providing "unsafe physical assistance" to passengers. The alleged treatment "at times resulted in injuries and undignified treatment of wheelchair users," the agency said in an announcement Wednesday. 

The agency also accused American of mishandling or damaging thousands of passengers' wheelchairs from 2019 to 2023, leaving them without their mobility devices.