The Fine That a Major Airline Received for Its Treatment of People with Disabilities Doesn’t Get to the Heart of The Problem, By: Jason Hahr
One aspect of traveling that has not always
been disability-friendly is flying. In an article I wrote for this blog earlier
this year, I highlighted a prototype of a wheelchair accessible seat on a
plane. That post discussed what the future may hold for travel. Today's post
will discuss how I envision us reaching our goal and the steps we can take to
accelerate our progress.
Anyone who
knows me knows that I love to travel, but planes are not usually accessible to
me. People with disabilities often struggle to navigate the aisle, as I noted
in my previous article. We have been permanently
grounded up until this point in history. However, one airline may be forced to
help us spread our proverbial wings.
Late last
year, an article written by Michelle Diament for Disability Scoop shed light on
the U.S. Department of Transportation finally stepping up and holding airlines
accountable for their treatment of people with disabilities. The article, which
I will link to at the bottom of this post, said that American Airlines was
finally fined for its poor treatment of people with disabilities. The amount of
50 million dollars may seem excessive to some, but it was not
enough.
Money is
what drives not only the economy but also business in general. Unless you are a
billionaire like Elon Musk, you typically enter business to provide services
and ultimately make a profit. I'm not talking about non-profit entities; I was
referring to the regular business world when I made the previous statement.
American
Airlines is one of the largest airlines not only in the United States but also
worldwide. The small amount of a 50-million-dollar fine may seem like a lot to
the average person, but to a corporation as big as American, it is only a drop
in the bucket. Indeed, according to the article, they are allowed to retain 25
million dollars of the fine, provided they earmark it for improving services
for their disabled passengers. This is complete nonsense. There is no guarantee
that they will commit to making improvements, i.e., no instrument to hold them
accountable. However, the article indicates that they will have to repay the
government if they do not make the necessary improvements. It does not provide
a timetable for doing so.
It might be
the skeptic in me, but wouldn't this allow them to keep saying, "We're
working on it?" If there's no hard accountability, that's what I would do
as a business owner. I make the above statement to make the following point. I
am all for free enterprise and capitalism; however, if you keep allowing
corporate America not to be accountable, they won't ever be. For example,
according to the Company Market Cap, the $50 million fine is only going to
lower their daily revenue by one day. Instead of making $148 million in one
day, they would only make the measly amount of $98 million a day.
To put it in perspective, if an individual
with a disability earned $98 million a year, they would be able to fund their
aide care for 490 years based on a rate of $200,000 per year. If you're like me
and are flabbergasted by that number, you will understand my earlier argument
that, while a $50 million fine is hefty, it doesn't do anything to address the
problem. It would wipe out a small airline, but the airline industry as a whole
would hardly notice. It is time we hold corporate America and corporations in
general responsible for their actions.
I never
thought I would write a post like this because I always thought I was the "if
you can make the money, keep the money" type of person, but I realize now,
and bear with me when I say this, money doesn't equal quality. By that, I argue
that corporate greed has stripped humanity from most businesses. Businesses
would rather pay a fine after the fact than be proactive and do what is right
for humanity.
Okay, that
is the end of my rant against corporate greed. However, this post is not just a
rant; I have the following suggestions for the corporate world and for humanity
as a whole. Instead of worrying about where to cut corners by hiring people for
minimum wage or investing in low-quality equipment, perhaps the world would be
a better place if we valued each other as individuals and compensated one
another fairly. Maybe then the baggage handler at the airport would take better
care of the wheelchair if he weren't so overworked and stressed. Another
example of how we can improve the treatment of all of humanity, in this case,
would be reminding the person helping any disabled person down the aisle that
they are people just like you and that their bones and spirit break just like
yours.
As I come to
the end of this post, I am not very optimistic that much will change shortly
because I genuinely believe that for circumstances to change for people with
disabilities or anyone, we must change our attitudes first. Change doesn't come
overnight or even as a result of one blog or protest. It stems from a
persistent desire for something different among the majority of society. That
being said, it is our job as the voiceless minority to keep bringing attention
to these issues until enough people are aware of them.
Until next
time, your friendly neighborhood, slightly frustrated, super advocate, Jay.
https://thevoicelssminority.blogspot.com/2025/04/finally-everyone-can-take-to-skies-by.html
Lazy writhing
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