In July 2021, Engracia Figueroa attended the Care Can't-Wait rally in Washington, DC as a representative of the Hand in Hand organization. Hand in Hand advocates for better working conditions for home attendants and other domestic (in-home) workers. Figueroa was a disability activist who used a $30,000 custom motorized wheelchair that helped her move comfortably despite a damaged spine and amputated leg. She traveled regularly, often via airplane, and her wheelchair was damaged during flights on various carriers on three separate occasions prior to the July 2021 trip. Figueroa returned to Los Angeles after the rally via United Airlines. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, she found that her wheelchair had been accidentally damaged. After deplaning, she had to use a standard wheelchair supplied by the airport. Her custom wheelchair supported her spine and helped her balance her weight without the aid of one leg. Using the airport-supplied wheelchair meant Figueroa had to painfully balance herself for five hours while waiting for a response from United about the status of her own wheelchair. Shortly after she returned home, without her wheelchair, she found that she had aggravated a previously healed pressure sore. Soon after that, she was hospitalized.

The Airline Carrier Access Act, administered by the US Department of Transportation, requires airlines to repair or replace lost or damaged mobility assistance devices. United had her wheelchair repaired by Figueroa's preferred vendor within a week, but Figueroa never responded to delivery attempts. According to Hand in Hand, the repair of motorized wheelchairs leads to an increased potential for fire. Thus, the optimal solution from Figueroa's perspective was a replacement. Figueroa and Hand in Hand launched a public campaign to put pressure on the airline. In early October 2021, United replaced the wheelchair. In the meantime, however, Figueroa's health continued to decline. The pressure sore became infected. The infection spread to her hipbone. Although surgeons performed emergency surgery to save her life, Engracia Figueroa died on October 21, 2021.

The Department of Transportation reports that over 6500 wheelchairs and scooters were damaged on commercial flights between January 2020 and August 2021: 1.3 percent of the total that was transported on flights during that time. Before the pandemic, airlines reported 26 lost or damaged mobility devices per day. Both Hands in Hand and Figueroa's family are publicizing her experience, hoping to put pressure on airlines to take greater care when dealing with mobility-challenged passengers and their equipment.

Question:

Assume that you work in United Airlines' risk assessment office. Your supervisor has asked you to review the information provided and clearly identify one problem that United must address to protect itself from future events of this type. Explain your problem using evidence from the case. Then, offer two alternatives, with benefits and challenges for each, before recommending one as the best solution to the problem.