Adelaide Airport apologises after wheelchair user blocked from disability pick-up zone

Adelaide Airport has apologised after refusing to let a man in a wheelchair be picked up from a designated disability zone.

Shane Hryhorec, a 41-year-old disability advocate and travel blogger from Port Adelaide, said his mother was blocked from collecting him when he arrived from Melbourne on Saturday.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Wheelchair user denied airport disability zone pickup

“My mum was picking me up, and I was on the phone to her letting her know that I’m just a few minutes away from the pick-up area, and then Mum said to me that she’s just drove past and had an awful interaction with one of the staff members,” Hryhorec told 7NEWS.

Hryhorec alleged the staffer yelled at his mother: “You can’t park here if you haven’t got a permit”, before turning to him as he approached the area.

“As soon as I get there, this person starts saying, ‘Is your mum trying to pick you up? Because you can’t park here’,” he said.

In a video shared online by Hryhorec, the staffer is heard telling him to use the regular pick-up area or his mother could face a $400 fine.

“I was in shock,” Hryhorec said.

“The reason that you need a disability parking permit is to prove that the person either you’re picking up or in the vehicle has a disability.

“What better proof can you get that I need to use that service than the fact that I’m sitting in a wheelchair with a service animal?”

Hryhorec is a C5 incomplete quadriplegic, meaning he has paralysis affecting his legs, torso and hand function while retaining some movement in his shoulders and elbows.

He said he travels through the airport monthly and had “never seen more than one car” in the disability pick-up zone at any given time.

“It’s like the airport wants to keep it a hidden secret, it’s like they don’t want people with disabilities to use it,” he said.

“And when we do use it, they make it very difficult and or try to let us not use it.

“It just does not make sense.”

Hryhorec said the standard pick-up area was not suitable for people with disabilities, citing a lack of curb access and safe stopping areas.

“Anyone that’s been there before knows it’s so busy and chaotic,” he said.

He described the experience as “heart-wrenching”, saying he felt “upset” and “stressed” when he should have been relieved to arrive home.

Adelaide Airport later apologised in a public comment under Hryhorec’s video.

“Hi Shane, we have just reviewed your social media post highlighting your recent experience at Adelaide Airport,” the statement read.

“We apologise for the frustration and distress this caused to you and your mother.

“We are investigating this matter and would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this experience with you.”

Hryhorec said the airport had also sent him a direct message asking him to take down the video.

“They haven’t called me or sent me an email, which is a little bit disappointing because clearly they don’t take this seriously if they haven’t made contact with me yet,” he said.

“That they’ve reached out to me asking to take the video down shows that they care more about their public image than fixing this problem, which to me is extremely upsetting.”

He said he wanted to see more practical, accessible pick-up arrangements and better staff understanding.

“I definitely feel for those with hidden disabilities because, I mean, if it’s like this for me, I mean, what is it like for others with disabilities?” he said.

Adelaide Airport executive general manager Dermot O’Neill told 7NEWS on Sunday that neither Hryhorec nor his mother would be fined.

“Shane will not be receiving a fine nor will Shane’s mother be receiving a fine for the use of the area yesterday,” he said.

“We’ll be working with our team to ensure they understand and have the right support around knowing how we can use that area and manage that discretion going forward.”