The nation’s largest airline has been hit with a $50 million fine for repeatedly violating rules intended to protect passengers with disabilities. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the fine against American Airlines on Wednesday, saying it was 25 times larger than any other fine issued by the Department of Transportation for such violations, per NBC News . The DOT investigation revealed fliers with disabilities were roughly handled and injured during transit between 2019 and 2023, while their wheelchairs were damaged , sometimes beyond repair. American was found to have mishandled more than 2,500 of about 146,000 mobility devices last year, or 1.7%, per the New York Times .