Disabled journo calls out airports after being treated like “carry-on”

Disabled journo calls out airports after being treated like “carry-on”
By James Harrison


Australian journalist and speaker Tracey Spicer has called out Aussie airports for treating disabled people as “an unnecessary addition to the travel landscape” after getting stuck on the sidewalk in her wheelchair at Sydney Airport.

Spicer, who lives with long COVID, wrote an article in Traveller outlining her fight to access the terminal after being promised a ‘push’ by Virgin Australia.

“Yet here I sit, like a piece of carry-on by the side of the road,” Spicer wrote.

According to Spicer, who uses a portable wheelchair, her driver refused to assist her with her wheelchair and luggage despite a guarantee from his manager. The driver told Spicer that he risked getting a fine if he left his vehicle.

Spicer said that she began panicking at this point and tried to contact Virgin.

She managed to calm herself, turned to the driver and said: “Well, you’re going to have to drive around all day with me, because I’m not budging.”

Ten minutes later, the driver relented and wheeled her inside.

Spicer said that a Virgin staffer was compassionate and told her that staff could not have assisted her as they are not meant to leave the terminal due to safety concerns.

“I’d like to help other people with disabilities to navigate this system,” Spiker said, “What should people do to get help?”

The Virgin staffer said that a staff member will usually come out to assist the person, despite regulations, which Spicer describes as a “ridiculous system.”

At the time of her ordeal, Spicer went to Twitter to share her story and ask for advice.

She was met with messages of disabled people recounting stories where they were abandoned at airports, missed flights and treated as nuisances.

The airline has since apologised, according to Spicer, but the manager of the car hire company was steadfast in his position.

“Drivers are not permitted to leave the car unattended and fine(s) will apply … the airline will help you extra if you need, and this is not our job to do,” the manager wrote in an email.

However,  Sydney Airport confirmed that Virgin “may provide mobility assistance… subject to the availability of wheelchairs and staff on duty.”

On the Virgin website, it says “the guest must be accompanied by a companion who can notify Virgin Australia staff.”

Spicer also pointed out that taxis, rideshares or limo drivers with unaccompanied passengers are meant to stop in an accessible parking space outside the terminals. The driver is then meant to enter the terminal and alert a staff member or tell a member of the kerbside management team.

Plus, fines are not given to drivers who stop in accessible spaces to transfer passengers who need assistance.

A spokesperson from Sydney Airport said they will now, “work with our airline and ground transport partners to ensure everyone understands the process for helping independent travellers who require mobility assistance.”

Spicer concluded with a call for the Aussie travel industry to meet the standards of overseas airports.

“Frankly, this entire episode underlines the dismissal of people with disabilities as an after-thought,” she said.

“An unnecessary addition to the travel landscape. A blight on the stunning scenery. Fellow wheelchair users wax lyrical about ‘concierges’ at overseas airport, assisting anyone who has difficulty walking.

“Wake up Australia. Whatever happened to a fair go for all?”

Latest News

  • Attractions

Wackadoo! Bluey’s World is set to open in Brisbane

Wackadoo! The eagerly anticipated Bluey’s World is set to open in Brisbane, on 7 November, offering families an unforgettable Bluey adventure with tickets on sale from tomorrow. Bluey’s World is a one-of-a-kind, immersive experience that will take visitors into the Heeler’s iconic family home, backyard and beyond – for real life. Get ready to play […]

  • Destinations

Listening to whales, followed by Ales and Prawn Tails on the Sunshine Coast

Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is preparing to welcome more than 40,000 humpback whales that are making their way up the Australian east coast on their annual migration. The Sunshine Coast is one of Australia’s premier whale tourism destinations, built on its long-established whale watching cruises and Sunreef’s pioneering Swim with Whales experience, which celebrates its 10th […]

  • Aviation
  • Travel Agents

Webjet relaunches partnership with AirAsia with a huge Asia flights sale

Online travel agency Webjet has have relaunched their partnership with AirAsia with a huge Asia flights sale, available until 2 June. To give customers a greater breadth of choice and price point, hundreds of new flight options to Aussie favourite destinations have been added, including Bali, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok via AirAsia, AirAsiaX, Thai AirAsia […]

  • Luxury

Why luxury clients are opting for immersive experiences over material items

The Luxury Travel Collection’s (LTC) inaugural business owners Soiree took place on Hayman Island last week. The event saw luxury leaders gathering to find out more about the key trends shaping the industry. The Immersion Day, held on Thursday 16 May 2024, followed the growing luxury client trend of valuing immersive experiences over material items. […]

  • Conferences

Empowering underserved communities: Expedia Group’s drive for more inclusive travel

Expedia Group has used the EXPLORE conference at the Aria Resort in Las Vegas to highlight initiatives that empower underserved communities worldwide.   In a groundbreaking move towards fostering diversity and inclusion within the travel industry, Expedia’s Global Social Impact and Sustainability Team is dedicated to shaping a travel landscape that is safe, welcoming, and accessible […]

  • Cruise

P&O rescues Rotary volunteers after collapse of Air Vanuatu

P&O Cruises Australia has answered a plea for help from a group of young Australian Rotary volunteers, stranded in Vanuatu following the collapse of Air Vanuatu. The students, many of them teenagers from Albury, NSW, were volunteering for a youth project run by the Hive Rotary Club Australia when the airline abruptly cancelled all flights, […]

  • Destinations

Intrepid continues expansions with launch of first DMC in Jordan

Intrepid has increased its presence in the Middle East with the opening of its first destination management company in Jordan. Based in Amman, the local team will operate Intrepid’s range of nine experiential small group tours in Jordan from this summer, with a view to expanding the range for 2025 and beyond. Zina Bencheikh, managing […]

  • Appointments

Minor hotels appoints Puneet Dhawan to key Asia role

Global hotel owner and operator Minor Hotels has appointed Puneet Dhawan as head of Asia as the group plots its growth in Asia and India. From July, Dhawan will be responsible for the performance of all Minor Hotels properties in Asia, working in close collaboration with the Minor Hotels senior leadership team and will report […]

  • Appointments

Abercrombie & Kent and Crystal appoint Evon Ler to director of sales, Asia

Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group have announced that Evon Ler will join them in the new role of director of sales, Asia. She will work closely with Tony Archbold (VP, Sales, APAC, Crystal) and Susan Haberle (VP, Sales & Partnerships, APAC, A&K) with trade support across the region. Ler comes to the A&K family with more […]