I understand that lawsuits are often filed against major corporations in hopes of bringing about change. In the United States, we’re used to some pretty aggressive lawsuits. However, even by those standards, I struggle to see merit to a lawsuit that has just been filed against an airline, as flagged by PYOK.
Traveler claims broken online check-in contributed to “injury”
American Airlines is being sued in Chicago district court for as much as $219,000, after a traveler wasn’t able to use online check-in, claiming that this constitutes an injury under the Montreal Convention, which governs the rules that global airlines have to follow.
This situation dates back to June 12, 2025, when a woman was traveling with her husband and son from Paris (CDG) to Chicago (ORD). The mother has restrictions on her mobility, which require her to use a powered wheelchair, and her son is autistic (both of these are important details, as you’ll find out below).
The traveler tried to use American’s online check-in system, but she claims that the system showed the wrong titles for her son and husband, which “triggered a system lockout that barred her from online check-in and forced her and her family to conduct same-day airport check-in.”
The traveler claims that having to check-in at the airport led to “physical and physiological burden and fatigue, time compression and disruption of medical routines, and risk to pre-arranged disability accommodations.”
Per the complaint, “for individuals with disabilities and their dependents with complex medical or neurodevelopmental needs, such as Plaintiff and her son, advance online check-in is not a discretionary convenience but an essential and protected right under federal law.”
Wait, but how is this an injury? The lawsuit claims that the lack of being able to use online check-in formed part of an overall accident that subsequently led to injury.
When the family arrived in Chicago, they discovered that the wheelchair had been sent to baggage claim, rather than being available at the door of the aircraft, as was supposed to be the case. So the airline tried to send her to baggage claim to collect her wheelchair. However, she refused to leave the plane, citing her federally protected rights, at which point the wheelchair was brought to her.
As a result of this incident, she claims to have suffered significant emotional distress that led to cardiovascular instability. Per the complaint, “the Defendant’s actions caused Plaintiff substantial and foreseeable harm, including physical pain, humiliation, emotional trauma, and a documented medical decompensation in the weeks following the flight.”
In response to the incident, American offered the traveler a $75 travel credit, which was considered to be “grossly inadequate and insulting.” The Montreal Convention limits compensation that can be claimed to 151,880 Special Drawing Rights, which is currently worth around $219K.
My take on this lawsuit against American Airlines
There’s no denying that disabled travelers face challenges that many of us could never even imagine, and I can appreciate the need for them to advocate for their rights. After all, most publicly traded companies don’t actually care about people, and they’ll only do things that positively help their bottom line, so there’s value in trying to hold them accountable.
That being said, I take issue with some of the claims made in this lawsuit. For one, the lawsuit claims that “advance online check-in is not a discretionary convenience but an essential and protected right under federal law.”
This is simply factually incorrect. For example, if someone is selected for additional screening (which is outside of a carrier’s control, and you’ll know based on “SSSS” being written on the boarding pass), then online check-in is blocked. Even when an airline offers online check-in, there are other situations where it might not work, like when documents need to be verified. For that matter, some airlines flying to the United States don’t even offer online check-in.
It’s possible I’m missing something, but I don’t see how guaranteed online check-in can be considered a federally protected right. For that matter, how is having to check-in at an airport for a few minutes any different than having to wait a few extra minutes at security or immigration?
Regarding the traveler’s powered wheelchair not being delivered to the plane, that’s obviously an issue. It’s not clear if there was a miscommunication, if there was an honest mistake, or what. Sometimes airlines make mistakes with where they deliver personal items, and that’s super frustrating, but I don’t think every single mistake is worthy of a lawsuit.
Now, there’s no denying that airlines have historically struggled with taking good care of passengers’ mobility devices. They’re often damaged at an alarming rate, and that’s not cool, and is something airlines should be forced to address.
However, it sounds like in this situation, the traveler stood her ground and stayed on the plane until her device was found, so good on her for advocating for herself. However, it really isn’t clear how this, combined with online check-in not working, amounts to a lawsuit?
She seems to claim that the online check-in combined with the extended wait for the wheelchair was what caused the “medical decompensation” in the weeks following the trip. How can that definitively be stated, rather than perhaps the overall stress from the trip, or from taking a 10-hour flight, contributing to any issues?
I’d like to think that I do my best to be a compassionate person, and I try to put myself in other peoples’ shoes as much as possible. But even with that, this seems to fall into the category of “airlines don’t always get things right,” rather than “American made a grave and unforgivable mistake, and needs to pay up.”
Bottom line
American Airlines is facing a lawsuit under the Montreal Convention, after a disabled passenger claimed she sustained an injury following a flight. First online check-in didn’t work, which the lawsuit claims is a “protected right under federal law.” Then her powered wheelchair got delivered to baggage claim rather than to the door of the aircraft, causing “physical pain, humiliation, emotional trauma, and a documented medical decompensation,” while she waited for it to be delivered.
While I’m sympathetic to how stressful travel can be, I struggle to see the merit to this lawsuit, but maybe I’m missing something.
What do you make of this lawsuit against American?
