(NEXSTAR) — American Airlines is investigating the circumstances surrounding a viral video that appeared to show baggage handlers at a Florida airport allowing a traveler’s wheelchair to come crashing down onto the tarmac.
“We recognize how important it is to support the independence of customers with disabilities by ensuring the proper care of mobility devices throughout their journey with us,” a spokesperson for the airline said in a statement shared with Nexstar. “This visual is deeply concerning and we are gathering more details so that we can address them with our team.
“We will continue to work hard to improve our handling of assistive devices across our network,” the carrier’s statement concluded.
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Footage of the incident was first shared to TikTok by user @haez93 earlier this week. In the video, a baggage handler on a jetbridge is seen sending a wheelchair down a ramp toward a baggage handler on the tarmac. Once it reaches the end of the ramp, the wheelchair smashes into a barrier, flips over it, and crashes onto the tarmac.
The handler on the ground then picks up the wheelchair and loads it on a baggage cart.
The TikTok user who filmed the video further indicated that this was the third such wheelchair the handlers had mishandled.
“Dang, after I saw them do this and laugh with the first two wheelchairs I had to get it on film,” wrote the TikTok user, who indicated the incidents took place in Miami. “That is not what [I’d] call ‘handling with care’ for someone[‘s] mobility device.”
Viewers largely appeared to agree, with many noting how expensive wheelchairs or similar mobility devices can be.
“My cousin[‘s] basic bottom dollar wheelchair was 5k,” one commenter wrote. [H]e would be immobile if it came back damaged.”
“As a wheelchair user, seeing this will stop me from ever travelling out of fear this will happen @American Airlines,” another wrote.
Incidents such as this one aren’t entirely uncommon in the airline industry. In its most recent Air Travel Consumer Report, the U.S. Department of Transportation noted an increase in instances of mishandled wheelchairs: In Aug. 2023 alone, U.S. carriers reported 1,104 instances of mishandled wheelchairs, or 1.52% of the 72,825 total wheelchairs checked by passengers. In July, the percentage of mishandled wheelchairs was only 1.39.
“To address many of the significant barriers and challenges experienced by passengers who use wheelchairs, the Department has initiated a rulemaking proposing that, if adopted after public comment would, among other actions, make it an automatic violation of the Department’s Air Carrier Access Act regulations for airlines to mishandle a passenger’s wheelchair,” reads a news release issued upon the publication of the report. “This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would also enhance training requirements for airline personnel who provide hands-on transfer assistance to passengers and handle wheelchairs.”
The proposal was currently under review as of late October, according to the DOT.
In the meantime, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said the DOT will be investigating the specific incident in the viral video as well.
“This is totally unacceptable,” Buttigieg wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in response to a repost of the original TikTok video. “We’ll be investigating. This is exactly why we are taking action to protect passengers who use wheelchairs. Everyone deserves to travel safely and with dignity.”