Disability advocate removed from Virgin flight over wheelchair motor dispute

A disability advocate says he was left feeling humiliated after being removed from a flight amid an issue with storing his portable wheelchair motor.

Shane Hryhorec says he had been on three Virgin flights before without an issue.

Virgin Australia says it looking into the issue, and ABC News has asked for further clarification on its policies on storing portable wheelchair motors.

Virgin Australia says it is reviewing an incident which left a disability advocate feeling "humiliated" after he was removed from a plane before its departure.

Shane Hryhorec, an Adelaide-based disability advocate with C5 incomplete quadriplegia, regularly travels by air for work with his service animal, a golden retriever called Whitney and a wheelchair with a portable electric motor.

He said he had taken three flights with the wheelchair and SmartDrive that week with no issue, but when he boarded the Sydney to Adelaide flight on Monday, he had no space to store the device under the seats in his row, after being instructed by the crew to do so.

In a post on social media published on Monday night, he showed parts of his exchange with cabin staff over the issue, which ended with him being removed from the flight.

"It made me feel humiliated, it made me feel so small, and it's just awful this level of discrimination is occurring in the year 2026," he told ABC News on Tuesday.

Mr Hryhorec told the ABC he had travelled with the motor on multiple flights without issue, including three operated by Virgin Australia in the days prior.

He said on those flights, crew had allowed for the motor to be stored in the overhead locker.

On the flight on Monday, staff told him he would need to keep the motor by his feet. He said the row he was allocated had no space to fit the motor and he did not want to put it next to his service dog for the animal's safety.

He spoke through possible options with cabin staff, including storing the battery in another row or moving to another seat, but eventually was told he would need to vacate the flight.

In one section of the video, a crew member can be heard suggesting the motor could be stored elsewhere, or whether he was willing to be relocated to a different seat.

According to Mr Hryhorec, his service dog was required to remain in the third row, preventing his relocation to another seat.