"Do better": Baggage handlers captured recklessly throwing wheelchairs
American Airlines has been forced to apologise after two baggage handlers were captured recklessly throwing around wheelchairs.
The video of the staffers was captured and posted to TikTok, showing two men in hi-vis at Miami Airport throwing a wheelchair down a slide.
The chair hits the bottom with such force that it is catapulted off the chute.
In the caption of the video, the poster revealed it was not the first mobility device to suffer such a fate, as she wrote, "Dang, after I saw them do this and laugh with the first two wheelchairs I had to get it on film."
She added that it wasn't what she would call "handling with care" for a mobility device.
The video has racked up over 2 million viewers, with many flocking to the comments to share their thoughts.
"This makes me rage. That is literally someone's lifeline," one person wrote.
"Knowing our healthcare system that basic wheelchair was soooooo f-ing expensive," another added.
A commenter clarified, "these chairs cost upwards of $3k plus. They aren't easily replaceable and insurance only covers new chairs every 5 years".
Another person wrote, "From a wheelchair user, thank you for posting this and raising awareness," while another angry viewer simply wrote, "Do better American Airlines".
After the video quickly went viral on social media, the airline issued a statement on the incident, as American Airlines spokesperson Amy Lawrence told USA Today in a statement: "We recognise how important it is to support the independence of customers with disabilities by ensuring the proper care of mobility devices throughout their journey with us."
"This visual is deeply concerning and we are gathering more details so that we can address them with our team. We will continue to work hard to improve our handling of assistive devices across our network."
Image credits: TikTok