Virgin Australia apologises to disability advocate removed from flight over wheelchair motor
Guardian AU Business
β’Wed, 19 Aug 2026 08:33:03 GMT
π° What Happened
Virgin Australia apologized to disability advocate Shane Hryhorec after he said he was "humiliated" and removed from a Sydney flight over the storage of the motor of his power-assisted wheelchair (a SmartDrive device). A viral video of the confrontation, which Hryhorec said had drawn 16 million views on TikTok and Instagram combined, showed staff telling him to store the motor under the seat despite there being no space, with one crew member suggesting earlier crews had "done the wrong thing then, just to accommodate you" and asking him to delete his videos. The airline called him on the Wednesday afternoon to offer an apology, two days after he published the video.
π The Backstory
Hryhorec lives with C5 incomplete quadriplegia and relies on the wheelchair power-assist device for mobility; he said he had flown three times with Virgin Australia the previous week without issue.
π― Why It Matters
The incident highlights accessibility failures in air travel for people with disabilities and the power of viral video to compel a company to respond; it matters for both disability-rights advocacy and Virgin Australia's public reputation.
Virgin Australia apologized to disability advocate Shane Hryhorec after he said he was "humiliated" and removed from a Sydney flight over the storage of the motor of his power-assisted wheelchair (a SmartDrive device). A viral video of the confrontation, which Hryhorec said had drawn 16 million views on TikTok and Instagram combined, showed staff telling him to store the motor under the seat despite there being no space, with one crew member suggesting earlier crews had "done the wrong thing then, just to accommodate you" and asking him to delete his videos. The airline called him on the Wednesday afternoon to offer an apology, two days after he published the video.
Hryhorec lives with C5 incomplete quadriplegia and relies on the wheelchair power-assist device for mobility; he said he had flown three times with Virgin Australia the previous week without issue.
The incident highlights accessibility failures in air travel for people with disabilities and the power of viral video to compel a company to respond; it matters for both disability-rights advocacy and Virgin Australia's public reputation.