For most, travelling by plane is an exciting and fun experience.

But for the almost 4.5 million Australians living with a disability flying comes with its own set of 'horrible, anxiety-inducing' challenges.


This is especially true for the almost 200,000 wheelchair users across the country—so much that for some, travelling to the airport is often a last resort.

But why?

James Wood, a Melbourne-based wheelchair user of 30 years, has a lot of stories to share.

He's had his chair lost by airlines multiple times, had his chair broken, damaged, and been told there was 'nobody available' to unload his chair on flights. Losing his chair had left him immobile and forced to wait for hours in airports for replacements.


'It's just … it’s horrible,' Mr Wood said.

'I shouldn't say completely horrible because the simple fact is that I can still travel—and many can’t—I can get to most places around the country and around the world if I want to.'

'But I think the issue that most people with disability have when it comes to travel, is the fact that when they take your mobility equipment away from you, it can create quite a lot of anxiety, just not knowing where that wheelchair’s going.'

As a victim of a workplace accident three decades ago, Mr Wood is now a speaker and advocate for safety. He’s forced to travel for work due to the nature of his job but often chooses not to fly due to the aforementioned reasons.

'A lot of people that I know, they're in same situation as me,' he said.

'You know, flying is not the preferred way to go. I travel for work and since Qantas has changed its baggage handlers over, I've actually been packing up the car and driving for two or three days, rather than jumping on a flight.'


Just recently, Mr Wood was waiting to disembark from his flight to Brisbane when he saw his wheelchair haphazardly dumped on the tarmac, lying on its side.

Despite no serious damage to his chair, he found this extremely disrespectful, particularly considering the $10,000 cost of his chair.

'It was lying on its push rims,' he recounted. 'Now the thing about the push rims is that they’re smooth, and they're shaped to fit into the palm of my hand. So you know, if they are scratched or if they're dented or in any way, that means every time I push that impacts my hands.'

'I’m just making the point more than anything that staff need to understand this, Qantas needs to train their staff that these pieces of equipment—like wheelchairs and mobility equipment—they’re so much more than that.'



As majority of wheelchairs are custom-made and tailored to an individual’s needs, to simply 'replace, hire or loan' a new one when damaged on a flight is unacceptable.

'I’m lucky, I do have a spare one, but it's at home in Melbourne. So, if my wheelchair’s damaged in Brisbane—or in any of the other airports around the country—I'm pretty well screwed.'

But even with Qantas' shortcomings, he still chooses to fly with them instead of Jetstar, which has ‘horrible’ customer service.

'I mean, look, I understand that there's a little bit more work involved with a passenger that has a disability, you have to assist them just a little bit more—but you actually feel with Jetstar that we're imposing on them,' he said.


Under Qantas' new management, Mr Wood suggested that the airline should invest 'more time and money' in retraining staff and improving travel conditions for wheelchair users.

Mr Wood also said that, as a short-term solution, allowing wheelchairs to be stored on board cabins, as opposed to beneath the aircraft along with other luggage, may already significantly improve travelling for many.

'If you were to say to me: “What would be the one thing that would change flying for you?”, I would say to have my wheelchair in the cabin.'

'The anxiety for some people … the fact that that wheelchair is taken away from you—and once it’s gone, once you’re on that aisle chair, or sitting in your plane … [and] you’ve got no idea where your wheelchair is—for some people, that’s extremely stressful,' he explained.

Kerry Williams, the founder of Accessible Accommodation, echoed Mr Wood’s sentiment and said: 'We would like to have a constructive dialogue with Qantas and Jetstar, to explain the multiple challenges wheelchair users experience when flying,'

'The mishandling of expensive wheelchairs, which are an extension of a person’s legs. The inability to go to the bathroom on a plane and the lack of transport wheelchairs at the destination...

'Until our airlines take this matter seriously, not only are Aussies with disabilities prevented from flying in comfort, but our tourism industry is being impacted because it is so difficult to fly to Australia. It’s not just the right thing to do; it makes business sense to allow wheelchairs on planes.

'If the USA can test new seat designs allowing this, so can our Australian airlines,' she expressed.


Jetstar and Qantas have apologised to James for his experiences, with Qantas adding: 'We will reach out to Mr Wood to better understand his recent experience.'

While Jetstar said: 'We’re committed to providing a safe and comfortable travel experience to all our customers, including those requiring specific assistance, and we’re really sorry to hear this wasn't Mr Wood’s experience.'

'Our teams regularly review the support we provide customers with specific needs and we welcome any feedback that will help us continue to improve the service we provide,' Jetstar added.

Both carriers claimed that they have dedicated teams that will support travellers with disabilities and that their staff undertake regular training.
Members, have you experienced this (or something similar) before? What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know in the comments below!