Key Points
- Craig Nolan says he was kicked off a Qatar Airways flight and left stranded at a Melbourne airport on 5 December.
- Mr Nolan uses a wheelchair due to his disability and had boarded a flight in Melbourne to return home to Finland.
- Twelve days on, he is still in Victoria and facing rising Christmas airfares to return home.
A man who says 12 days ago is still stuck, and is considering legal action against the airline.
Craig Nolan, who requires a wheelchair for mobility, alleges he has been discriminated against over a decision by Qatar Airways to remove him from a flight last week.
The incident occurred 5 December when Mr Nolan — who was born in Geelong in regional Victoria — was returning home via Doha, Qatar, to Helsinki, Finland, where he now lives with his partner.
Shortly after being transferred into his seat, he said he was told he needed to disembark the flight as he was a solo disabled traveller. Mr Nolan said he had previously informed check-in staff he was travelling alone.
"I do believe I have been discriminated against," he told SBS News. "This and other types of discrimination against disabled people cannot keep happening."
Craig Nolan is an experienced traveller and says he has travelled on his own on countless occasions. Source: Supplied / Craig Nolan
"Forcing me off the plane has prevented me from accessing medical supplies that are waiting for me in Finland," he said.
"This has been very stressful and I've spent considerable time chasing and testing alternative medical supplies that have been difficult to find here."
He said the stressful situation has been compounded by chasing the airline for answers.
Mr Nolan was born 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 has travelled extensively both as an international table tennis player and through setting up his life in Finland. He said he has flown countless times on his own, but this was the first time he has been prevented from flying due to his disability.
The airline provided four reasons for removing him from the flight, including travelling alone as a disabled person and not providing enough information about his needs nor a medical form, he said.
On its website, Qatar Aiways 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.
The airline 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.
Mr Nolan said at no time was he asked for further information about his needs until on the plane and added was never asked to fill out a medical form.
SBS News has twice contacted Qatar Airways for comment.
Mr Nolan said the airline would not cover the remaining hotel stays while it sorted his refund, which was partially paid last Saturday and in full on Tuesday.
Now, he's facing rising Christmas airfares, which are between about $6,000 and $8,000, as he attempts to return home.
A fundraising page has been set up to support Mr Nolan.
He confirmed he is also considering taking legal action against the airline.
"No one at Qatar is willing to apologise to me for what happened and the huge amount of stress that I've had to go through," he said.
"The way I’ve been treated highlights the need for disability awareness and non-discrimination training for all employees."
