Northwest fined for no disability storage on Airbus

Northwest Airlines has agreed to a USD$225,000 fine for not providing wheelchairs storage space on its planes, according to the US Transportation Department.
As part of a settlement with the agency for violating regulations on access for disabled passengers, Northwest can use virtually all of the money to install storage for standard-sized folding wheelchairs on its 27 Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft.
The consent order also requires Northwest to ensure that each plane with more than 100 seats it orders in future can accommodate one folding wheelchair.
“With this settlement, the department sends a clear signal that we all must work to ensure that passengers with disabilities have equal access to air travel,” said Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta.
The Transportation Department has reached similar settlements with other major airlines.