Alaska Airlines told to pay $3.2mn after escalator fall

A jury at King County Superior Court in Seattle has ordered Alaska Airlines (AS, Seattle Tacoma Int’l) to pay USD3.2 million to the family of a 75-year-old woman who died after falling down an escalator at Portland Int’l Airport in 2017. Security camera video shows disabled Bernice Kekona in a wheelchair falling down the escalator. She later died of her injuries. Her family filed a wrongful death suit against Alaska Airlines that same year, alleging that the carrier had failed to provide a gate-to-gate escort. According to the Associated Press and Portland’s KGW television station, Alaska Airlines confirmed that Kekona had received initial assistance but claimed she declined further help after being escorted to the top of the airport’s Skybridge, where she was left alone. Kekona had been flying from Kahului, Hawaii, where she was visiting family, to Spokane Int’l via Portland. She had an amputated leg and other health issues. The jury returned their verdict on February 22, finding that Alaska Airlines had violated the Air Carrier Access Act, which requires airlines to assist passengers with disabilities, including boarding, disembarking, and making connections. The airline said it was disappointed in the ruling and was considering further action. Robert Gellatly, an attorney for the family, argued that Kekona’s death was “a tragic failure of communication,” the Seattle Times reported. According to the family’s court filings, Kekona’s family members had requested several times that she receive a gate-to-gate escort, especially as she was hard of hearing and sometimes became confused in unfamiliar places. The family alleged that the airline had not properly communicated these requests to the contractor that would have provided the escort. “We’re disappointed in the ruling and are evaluating next steps. There is no more important responsibility than the safety and wellbeing of our guests, whether they’re in our care or the care of a vendor,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement. Alaska Airlines was not immediately available for comment.