Disability advocate removed from Virgin flight over wheelchair motor dispute
A disability advocate was removed from a Virgin Australia flight after a dispute regarding the storage of his electric wheelchair motor. The airline later admitted the device was incorrectly assessed as a battery rather than a mobility aid and apologized for the incident.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing challenges and potential discrimination faced by passengers with disabilities in air travel, prompting calls for better staff training.
A disability advocate says he was left feeling humiliated after being removed from a flight amid an issue with storing his portable wheelchair motor.
Shane Hryhorec says he had been on three Virgin flights before without an issue.
Virgin Australia said it was looking into the issue, and later added that the device had been "incorrectly assessed" as a battery rather than a mobility aid.
Link copied Share Share article Virgin Australia says it is reviewing an incident which left a disability advocate feeling "humiliated" after he was removed from a plane before its departure.
Shane Hryhorec, an Adelaide-based disability advocate with C5 incomplete quadriplegia, regularly travels by air for work with his service animal and a wheelchair with a portable electric motor.
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