American Airways Baggage Handlers Laughed, Filmed Enjoying ‘Toss The Wheelchair’
American Airways is beneath scrutiny after baggage handlers in Miami performed ‘toss the wheelchair’ with not one and even two passengers’ mobility gadgets however at the least three, based on a passenger contained in the terminal filming the malfeasance.
Within the video, baggage handlers might be seen sliding a wheelchair down a baggage chute laborious sufficient to crash it and flip it over. The passenger taking video was prompted to begin filming after this had occurred to the second wheelchair and after they had been seen ‘laughing’ over it.
Wheelchair customers have been making an attempt for ages to boost consciousness about their wheelchairs being damaged so typically once they fly, and the devastating impression this has on them. @AmericanAir baggage handlers determined to present an indication of how a lot they get pleasure from breaking them pic.twitter.com/jQvILpTRyQ
— Becca Peter (@DefectiveBecca) November 20, 2023
It solely will get worse in case you learn the caption… pic.twitter.com/szrvd1CBRd
— Becca Peter (@DefectiveBecca) November 20, 2023
For a lot of wheelchair-reliant passengers, mobility gadgets are an extension of their physique, and will even be custom-built for his or her particular wants. Decrease-quality loaned wheelchairs are an uncomfortable short-term substitute, and wheelchairs can take months to restore. Wheelchairs are mishandled two and a half occasions as typically as checked baggage (although in equity, American mishandles checked baggage excess of trade common).
It’s not simple to deal with heavy wheelchairs appropriately, which means that whereas these ramp brokers are clearly in charge, gates aren’t properly set as much as assist them both.
