Virgin Australia has publicly apologised to South Australian disability advocate Shane Hryhorec after he was removed from a Sydney to Adelaide service on Monday following a dispute with cabin crew over where his motorised wheelchair aid could be safely stored during the flight.
Hryhorec, who lives with C5 incomplete quadriplegia and was travelling with a service dog, was escorted off the aircraft after a roughly 20-minute standoff with staff in front of a full plane — an experience he described as deeply humiliating.
What happened on the Virgin Australia flight
At the centre of the dispute was Hryhorec's SmartDrive — a battery-powered motorised wheel that attaches to his wheelchair to help him propel it. Because the device contains a lithium-ion battery, aviation regulations required it to remain accessible in the cabin rather than being stowed with checked luggage or placed in an overhead locker.
Hryhorec said the seat Virgin had allocated him — row three in business class — made it physically impossible to store the SmartDrive safely. The omni-directional rollers on the device meant it would shift around on a flat floor, and the configuration of the business class row in front of him left no usable footwell space.
"My service dog was in the window seat taking up the entire floor section," he explained. "There was a barrier in front of me, which meant there was absolutely nowhere for a SmartDrive or a bag to go, and then in the aisle seat next to me was a passenger."
He said one flight attendant offered a practical workaround — placing the SmartDrive in the footrest of an empty seat further back in the cabin — but that suggestion was overruled by another crew member. With no agreed solution reached, Hryhorec was asked to leave the plane.
He noted that he had never previously encountered this problem when travelling with the device, making the Monday confrontation all the more unexpected and distressing.
Virgin Australia's apology and response
Two days after the incident, on Wednesday, Virgin Australia issued a formal public apology, acknowledging that the situation fell well short of the airline's own service standards.
"We sincerely apologise for the distress and frustration this caused Mr Hryhorec," the airline said in a statement. "We regret what occurred and acknowledge that we did not meet our own standards in how we handled this situation."
The airline added that it had contacted Hryhorec directly and committed to learning from the incident, saying it would "strive to meet the standards that everyone at Virgin Australia aspires to deliver."
Hryhorec confirmed he had spoken by phone with Virgin Australia's chief customer officer Andrew Cleary, and that a face-to-face meeting between the two is scheduled for next week.
Hryhorec says real change is needed, not just words
While Hryhorec said he appreciates the airline's apology and the direct contact from senior management, he made clear that the public reaction to his story had reinforced his view that the issue extends well beyond his own experience.
"Reading through the thousands of comments, it's clear this is bigger than my experience alone," he said. "People with disability want to see more than words. We want to see meaningful change."
He said he is looking forward to the upcoming meeting with Cleary and intends to share more details publicly after that conversation takes place.
The incident has drawn significant attention online and reignited debate about the treatment of passengers with disabilities by Australian airlines, particularly around the storage of mobility aids and the training of cabin crew to handle such equipment.
Broader implications for accessible air travel
The case highlights the practical difficulties that can arise when airline seating configurations and onboard storage rules are not designed with the needs of passengers who rely on mobility aids in mind. In Hryhorec's situation, every available storage option was either physically unsuitable, against regulations, or was blocked by the layout of his allocated seat.
As a disability advocate, Hryhorec is well placed to translate his personal experience into systemic recommendations — something he appears intent on doing through his forthcoming meeting with Virgin Australia's leadership.
Virgin Australia has not indicated what specific policy or training changes, if any, it plans to introduce as a result of the incident. The outcome of next week's meeting between Hryhorec and the airline's chief customer officer is expected to shed more light on what concrete steps, beyond the public apology, the carrier is prepared to take.
For Hryhorec and the many Australians with disability who responded to his account, the hope is that the conversation marks a turning point rather than a one-off acknowledgement.
