The U.S. Department of Transportation has fined United Airlines a total of $2.75 million over accusations the carrier did not sufficiently assist disabled passengers at multiple airports, including Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and for excessive tarmac delays.
The bulk of the fine, $2 million, was for the treatment of those passengers with disabilities, according to a DOT press release. The department said it had found many instances where United "failed to return passengers’ wheelchairs, other mobility aids, or other assistive devices in a timely manner or in the condition in which the airline received them."
The Department investigated United’s compliance with its rule implementing the Air Carrier Access Act due to a significant increase in the number of disability-related complaints that United received from consumers in calendar year 2014. A review of these disability-related complaints revealed that United failed to provide passengers with disabilities prompt and adequate assistance with enplaning and deplaning aircraft and with moving through the terminal at Houston International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport, Newark International Airport, and Dulles International Airport.


Of the $2 million assessed for these violations, United will spend $150,000 to improve quality assurance audits of United’s wheelchair vendor(s), including tracking the time period within which wheelchair assistance is provided to passengers with disabilities, and $500,000 towards a pilot program to develop and implement technology that assists passengers with disabilities in making requests for wheelchair and other disability-related assistance at the airport via United’s mobile app. DOT is also crediting United with $650,000 for compensation it provided to consumers who filed a disability-related complaint with the airline in 2014.
United is also being fined $750,000 for five lengthy tarmac delays that took place at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on December 8, 2013 and one lengthy tarmac delay of a flight that was diverted to Houston Hobby Airport on May 20, 2015.