An Australian disability advocate has been removed from a Virgin Australia flight after a dispute over where he could safely store a portable motor that helps power his wheelchair.
Adelaide based Shane Hryhorec, 41, was travelling from Sydney to Adelaide with his service dog Whitney when the dispute erupted over his SmartDrive mobility device.
Hryhorec, who has C5 incomplete quadriplegia, said he had travelled on several Virgin Australia flights with the same device during the previous week without problems.
However, after boarding the Sydney to Adelaide flight, cabin crew told him the SmartDrive needed to be stored under the seat in front of him.
Hryhorec said there was no safe space available because of the configuration of his row, including a bulkhead and his service dog occupying the window seat.
He said he offered alternative solutions, including moving seats or storing the device elsewhere on the aircraft, but was ultimately told he would have to leave the plane.
Footage filmed by Hryhorec and subsequently posted online shows part of the confrontation with cabin crew before he was removed from the aircraft.
He later described the experience as humiliating and said he felt like a burden.
“It made me feel humiliated, it made me feel so small,” Hryhorec told the ABC.
The incident has sparked a wider debate about accessibility and the treatment of passengers with disabilities, with disability advocates saying it highlights the difficulties wheelchair users can face when travelling by air.
Virgin Australia initially said it was reviewing the circumstances of the incident, but later acknowledged that the SmartDrive had been incorrectly assessed as a battery rather than a battery powered mobility aid.
The airline apologised for the confusion and frustration caused and said it remained committed to providing an accessible and inclusive travel experience.
Virgin said it was also looking at whether passengers’ specific seating and stowage requirements could be better identified before boarding, and how staff could better support customers in similar situations.
Hryhorec said the experience was particularly upsetting because he had successfully travelled with the same equipment many times before.
The latest incident has since attracted widespread attention online, with Hryhorec’s footage generating millions of views and reigniting questions about whether airlines are doing enough to make air travel genuinely accessible for passengers with disabilities.
