Key Points
- Craig Nolan says he was kicked off a Qatar Airways flight and left stranded at a Melbourne airport.
- Mr Nolan uses a wheelchair due to his disability and had boarded a flight in Melbourne to return home to Finland.
- He says he was asked to disembark the flight because he was travelling alone.
Craig Nolan was heading home to Helsinki when he says he was kicked off a Qatar Airways flight and left stranded at Melbourne Airport due to his disability.
An experienced traveller and a former travel agent, he says he's been left "frustrated" by the incident and is waiting on an apology - and an explanation - from the airline.
Mr Nolan was born in Geelong with spina bifida — a birth defect in which the spinal cord fails to develop properly. He requires a wheelchair for mobility, and an aisle chair onboard any flight.
Aisle chairs are used to transport immobile passengers from their own wheelchair to an aeroplane seat, and are used during a flight to access the toilet.
Mr Nolan now lives in Helsinki with his partner and had returned to Australia in September. On Monday, he was set to fly home from Melbourne via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight.
Mr Nolan told SBS News he checked in that night, informed staff he was travelling alone and that his wheelchair needed to be tagged for use during his stopover. Upon reaching the gate, he was transferred into an aisle chair to be lifted onto the plane and wheeled to his seat.
He said he was first approached by one staff member, who asked about his needs during the flight - which were having an aisle chair onboard and for assistance accessing the toilet.
"It's in their job description," he said.
About 10 minutes later, he said he was told by another staff member that he needed to disembark the flight. When he asked for the reason, Mr Nolan said he was told it was because he was travelling alone.
Craig with his partner in Helsinki, Finland. Source: Supplied / Bridget Mullahy / Craig Nolan
He claims he was refused any further conversation about the decision and had no option but to comply - "which I did peacefully," he said.
Mr Nolan has travelled extensively, both as an international table tennis player and through setting up his life in Finland. He said he's never had an experience like this before.
"Never. In any form of transport, I've never had a problem," he said.
His childhood friend, Bridget Mullahy, told SBS News the incident was "unacceptable".
"This just comes down to him having a wheelchair. They obviously have the aisle chair. So they already are providing an opportunity for people like him to be able to be on the plane. So why stop then?" she said.
"I'm aware of what he has to deal with, just as a result of being in a wheelchair. To think that something as simple as travelling back to Finland - a trip he's done so many times before - and then this happens on his home turf? It's unacceptable."
SBS News has contacted Qatar Airways for comment.
On its website, the airline asks passengers who are wishing to travel with their own wheelchair or request wheelchair assistance to inform them at the time of booking or at least 48 hours prior to departure.
Customers with special needs may also be asked to fill in a 'Medical Information Form' to be submitted no less than 48 hours prior to departure.
Qatar Airways states in its Disability Access Facilitation Plan that if travellers do not provide advance notice of their specific needs, it "may or may not be able to accommodate" them.
"This should not affect your ability to travel on your scheduled flight, but may affect the assistance we are able to provide," it states.
When he booked online, Mr Nolan said he selected an option stating he required assistance with an aisle chair at the gate, and went on to confirm this with the reservations team. He was not asked at any stage to fill out a form.
'These incidents have to stop'
Mr Nolan has since spent two nights at a Melbourne airport hotel. He said one night was covered by the airline, while airport management offered him a second night.
He claims airline management was "not willing to enter into any more discussion about the situation".
"They tried to tell me that I hadn't given enough information, that the codes that I entered were wrong," he said. "I know what the codes are because [of] my background as a travel agent."
Mr Nolan is still waiting for a refund, and has not yet found a suitable flight home. He said he's also waiting on an apology and an explanation from the airline.
"I am frustrated. And even since I've been home, there's been so many incidents that I've heard of - not just here, but internationally. And it has got to stop," he said.
Trevor Carroll, chief executive of advocacy group Disability Justice Australia, said it’s not uncommon for people with wheelchairs or disabilities to be taken off flights, particularly international journeys.
He said some airlines have a policy where these passengers are required to fill out a questionnaire answering whether or not they can travel independently.
Mr Carroll said disability awareness is a “major problem”.
“Airlines are basically set up for able-bodied people to travel. There is no consistent pattern whatsoever between one airline or the next - or even within an airline based out of different airports.”
Mr Nolan agreed more education and awareness were needed around travelling with disability - and how some people are "able to cater for themselves or be independent".
"The cues are not being registered that I can look after myself," he said.
Ultimately, Mr Nolan wants to return to Finland to get on with his life.
