Disability advocate ‘humiliated’ after being kicked off Virgin flight

Disability advocate Shane Hryhorec said he was left humiliated after he was kicked off a Virgin flight and has threatened legal action against the airline.

He said the issue arose on a flight from Sydney to Adelaide on Monday when staff failed to find a place on the aircraft to store his portable motor device for his wheelchair and asked that he put it underneath his seat.

Hryhorec said he tried to explain that the device could not fit under the seat he was allocated and did not want to place it next to his service dog for her safety.

But he was forced to go back and forth with staff.

“They just spent the next 20 to 30 minutes telling me that if I don’t put it under the seat, I can’t fly, and they just kept repeating themselves,” he told nine.com.au.

Eventually, Hryhorec was offloaded the plane in front of everyone.

He said staff made an announcement during this time to apologise to passengers for the inconvenience.

“I was just blown away by their complete rude and discriminatory attitude towards me and through the whole time, they made me feel like a burden,” he said.

“It was honestly one of the most humiliating experiences I’ve ever had flying.”

After being taken back to the airport, Hryhorec went to the bathroom and cried.

He was put on the next flight that was to depart five hours later.

“It meant that I had to spend the entire day at the airport and people don’t realise getting on and off a plane with a disability is hard,” he said.

“Try doing it with a service animal, and then try doing it twice. And then not only that, then being stuck inside an airport all day.”

Hryhorec was returning home to Adelaide after travelling across the East Coast for work and the charity he runs, Accessible Beaches Australia.

He often travels and said it is not unusual for him to run into issues. In April, he was threatened with a fine after Adelaide Airport staff blocked him from being picked up in a disability permit parking bay.

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But now he wants to see something change.

That’s why he has engaged his lawyers to launch a discrimination case against Virgin.

“I fly with my smart drive absolutely every single time I fly with this airline, and they’ve changed the rules, and they haven’t accommodated me in those change of rules,” he said.

“And their way of resolving it was to kick me off a plane.

“You can’t get more discrimination than that.”

Hryhorec will lodge a complaint with the Human Rights Commission and, if mediation fails, he has vowed to take the matter to the federal court.

“I’m going all the way,” he said.

“Someone needs to make a point to these people, and that person is going to be me.”

Hryhorec has been contacted by Virgin to understand what has happened. He said he has not been issued an apology.

A Virgin spokesperson said the incident is being reviewed to understand whether there are opportunities to better identify specific seating or stowage requirements in advance and how our teams can support guests in similar circumstances.

“Virgin Australia remains committed to providing an accessible and inclusive travel experience for all our guests,” the spokesperson said.

“We have reached out to Mr Hryhorec to find out more about his experience and we are reviewing the circumstances that led to this unfortunate outcome for one of our guests.”

Virgin requires battery-powered mobility aids to be carried and stowed in accordance with the aviation safety requirements.