A disabled passenger has described the humiliation of being ‘kicked off’ a packed Virgin Australia flight because of his wheelchair.
Shane Hryhorec, who was paralysed in a swimming accident in 2007, and his service dog Whitney boarded a flight between Adelaide and Sydney on Monday.
As usual, the frequent flyer had a detachable SmartDrive battery with him that he uses to power his wheelchair. He said he has flown more than 300 times and usually stores it in the overhead locker.
However, the airline has implemented new rules that ban lithium batteries from going in overhead lockers due to the fire risk. They must be kept under the seat in front where passengers can watch them in case they overheat.
The 41-year-old said he was in the centre seat and his service dog had to ride on the floor of the window seat next to him, and that he couldn’t put the heavy 6kg device on the floor because of the danger it could injure the dog in turbulence.
The problem sparked a heated argument with cabin crew, which held up the flight for half an hour before a mortified Mr Hryhorec was escorted from the plane in front of 200 passengers.
Mr Hryhorec filmed part of the interaction and shared it to social media. He has also since lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission about how he claims the airline poorly handled the saga.
‘I’m upset, defeated and so angry that Virgin Australia does not seem to care about passengers with disabilities. The cabin crew made no effort to resolve the issue,’ he told Daily Mail.
Shane Hryhorec has called out Virgin Australia over Monday’s humiliating ordeal (he is pictured on the plane before he was kicked off)
He has previously flown more than 300 times with the SmartDrive device without any issue
He explained that the company had since spoken to him and told him that it was investigating the incident.
‘But they are yet to apologise to me for what happened, which I find appalling,’ he said.
He also claimed staff realised he was recording and asked him to delete the footage.
The social media video of Mr Hryhorec’s clash with cabin crew has been viewed by more than two million people.
‘I’ve just flown three times in the last four days,’ he told staff during the incident, to which a male cabin crew member replied: ‘I don’t believe that.’
Mr Hryhorec continued: ‘I am not going to have a SmartDrive roll around and hit my dog!’
A female customer service manager then suggested he move to a smaller seat with less room.
‘I don’t care, as long as I can sit somewhere where there is room for my service animal,’ Mr Hryhorec replied. ‘I didn’t choose to sit here.’
The disability advocate (pictured) told Daily Mail he’s yet to receive an apology from the airline
Due to his allocated seat, Shane was unable to safely secure the SmartDrive under the seat without it rolling around near his service dog Whitney
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As he was escorted off the plane, a PA announcement was heard in the background apologising to passengers for the delay.
‘We can’t delay this flight any further,’ a cabin crew member then told Mr Hryhorec.
‘At least they got apologised to, it was so embarrassing and made me feel degraded,’ Mr Hryhorec told Daily Mail.
‘This is a guide for how you shouldn’t treat people with disabilities.’
The incident was not resolved and the video ended with Mr Hryhorec and Whitney getting off the plane as the cabin crew tried to justify their decision.
‘The airline put me there. Yet I was the person removed when the set-up they provided didn’t work,’ he captioned the video.
‘This is exactly why so many people with disabilities have anxiety about flying.
‘It’s 2026. Disabled passengers shouldn’t have to fight this hard simply to get on a plane and get home.’
Mr Hryhorec has since lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission
Mr Hryhorec was inundated with supportive messages.
‘And that man said, ”I don’t believe you” I’m glad you have this recorded. I’m so sorry Shane,’ former Gogglebox star Yvie Jones commented.
Virgin eventually booked him on a later service and included lounge access.
‘Virgin Australia remains committed to providing an accessible and inclusive travel experience for all our guests,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail.
‘While the safety of our guests and crew is always our highest priority, we are reviewing the circumstances of yesterday’s experience 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.
‘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.’
Mr Hryhorec described the airline’s response as ‘lip service’, claiming that cabin crew were unwilling to provide a solution.
He also urged Virgin to improve its treatment of passengers with disability.
‘We’re not going to go away,’ Mr Hryhorec said.
