Virgin Australia apologises to disability advocate removed from flight over wheelchair motor
Shane Hryhorec’s viral video showing the interaction with flight staff has already garnered 16 million views Virgin Australia has apologised to a disability advocate who said he was “humiliated” by his removal from a flight over his wheelchair motor. The airline called Shane Hryhorec on Wednesday afternoon to offer an apology, two days after the Adelaide-based man published a viral video showing…
Virgin Australia has apologized to disability advocate Shane Hryhorec, who was removed from a flight due to his wheelchair motor. The incident occurred on a Sydney to Adelaide flight and was captured on video, garnering 16 million views on TikTok and Instagram. Hryhorec, who lives with C5 incomplete quadriplegia and uses a power-assist wheelchair called SmartDrive, stated he had taken three previous Virgin Australia flights without incident.
During the flight, staff instructed him to store the motor under the seat despite there being no space, and one staff member questioned his deletion of the video footage and even suggested he had encouraged the previous crew's actions. The airline acknowledged their "regret" for the distress and frustration Hryhorec experienced and confirmed they would learn from the situation to improve their standards.
Hryhorec has since complained to the Australian Human Rights Commission and vowed to keep pursuing changes until he feels the airline is making the necessary improvements.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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