Five major airlines are suing the U.S. government over a rule that punished them for damaging passengers' wheelchairs

A person pushes a woman in a wheelchair to an airport gate. (Credit: Joe Raedle—Getty Images)

• Airlines filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation, claiming parts of a 2024 rule to protect wheelchair users on airplanes are regulatory “overreach.” The rule set a strict fine for airlines that damaged or lost mobility aids. According to the DOT, airlines mishandled more than 11,500 wheelchairs and scooters in 2023.

Several major airlines are challenging a Department of Transportation rule that gives protections to wheelchair users on flights.