After a video of a baggage handler at Miami International Airport rolling a wheelchair onto the tarmac went viral, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg promised his department would investigate the incident.
The clip, originally posted to TikTok and reuploaded elsewhere, shows an American Airlines baggage handler pushing a wheelchair into a baggage chute. It slid down the tracks and crashed into the gate used to stop the suitcase, knocking it over and falling to the ground.
“This is completely unacceptable. We will investigate.” Buttigieg said in a post about X., formerly known as Twitter. “This is exactly why we are taking steps to protect passengers who use wheelchairs. Everyone has the right to travel safely and with dignity.”
Buttigieg was responding to a post that received 7 million views and nearly 50,000 likes, showing an airline employee pushing a wheelchair down a ramp, causing it to fall to the ground. .
The video comes as wheelchair users and accessibility advocates voice concerns about wheelchair equipment being mishandled or damaged during travel.
“Wheelchair users have been trying to raise awareness for years about how often wheelchairs break down when flying, and the devastating impact this has on them.” Becca Peter said: Post to X. “@AmericanAir baggage handlers decided to demonstrate how fun it is to destroy baggage.”
Buttigieg’s post Link to page This provides an overview of the Department for Transport’s disability policy. The disability policy priorities were announced and adopted in July 2022 during the Americans with Disabilities Act anniversary celebration, the statement said.
The ministry said it has established four focus areas to be more inclusive of people with disabilities. Enabling multiple accessibility to public transport, vehicles and rights of way. It gives people with disabilities access to well-paying jobs and business opportunities, and enables the accessibility of electric and self-driving cars. ”
According to data from the Government Accountability Board, Disability-related complaints Airfares filed with the Department of Transportation increased from 2020 to 2021. In November 2022 alone, additional data shows that airlines 941 wheelchairs were mishandled.
The Air Carrier Access Act, passed in 1986, prohibits discrimination based on disability in air travel and requires airlines to accommodate the needs of their passengers.
The bill, introduced in February by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), aims to increase transparency regarding disability-related complaints for air travelers. .
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