American Airlines is facing backlash from disabled people and other individuals after one of its employees was seen mishandling a wheelchair.
The AA staff was caught on a video, which quickly trended online. The person who recorded the footage claims that this is not the first that that American Airlines mishandled wheelchairs.
The netizen said that before she started recording, two more wheelchairs were already carelessly handled by AA employees. Here are other details about this latest issue.
American Airlines Wheelchair Scandal Draws Outrage
American Airlines airplanes are seen past a traveler walking through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on November 22, 2022, ahead of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Yahoo News reported that the TikToker named Haeley Dyrdahl who captured the alarming incident posted her video on Nov. 19.
"Dang, after i saw them do this and laugh with the first two wheelchairs i had to get it on film," she captioned on her viral TikTok post.
"That is not what id call "handling with care" for someones mobility device...." she added.
As of writing, her TikTok video already generated hundreds of thousands of likes, comments, and shares. In the comment section, you will see a lot of people outraged by the latest American Airlines wheelchair scandal.
A TikToke user said that the footage explains why her daughter's wheelchair was broken when they arrived in Florida from her "Make a Wish" trip.
Another netizen said that wheelchairs should be handled with extreme care, especially since they are "someone's life" and cost $3,000 or more.
"Knowing our healthcare system that basic wheelchair was soooooo f-ing expensive," added another TikTok user.
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AA to Investigate Wheelchair Incident
An American Airlines plane prepares to land at the Miami International Airport on May 02, 2023 in Miami, Florida. American Airlines pilots voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if the union’s negotiations with American Airlines’ management.
In the video, you can see that a wheelchair was carelessly put on a ramp from the jet bridge. Although there was an employee at the bottom, the airlines still took safety measures to prevent the equipment from sliding down the ramp very fast.
After that, the wheelchair hit a metal barrier and then somersaulted onto the tarmac. To make matters worse, the AA staff didn't even bother to check the status of the wheelchair and acted like nothing happened.
@haez93 Dang, after i saw them do this and laugh with the first two wheelchairs i had to get it on film. That is not what id call “handling with care” for someones mobility device…. #AmericanAirlines #handlewithcare #mobilitydevice #wheelchair ♬ Oh No - Kreepa
He was seen putting the wheelchair together with others (which also mostly experienced the same disappointing handling).
After learning about the viral video, American Airlines' management released a statement, saying that what happened is deeply concerning.
AA said that they are still gathering more details to determine the actions needed to be taken with their team. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also said that their department will investigate the AA issue.
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