Paralympic athlete drags himself to plane

By Paul Carter

Triple Paralympic champion Kurt Fearnley has received an apology from an airline after its policy of checking in wheelchairs as baggage resulted in him dragging himself across the floor of an airport.

Australian budget carrier Jetstar offered the wheelchair athlete, who has won medals at the last three Paralympic Games, use of an airline wheelchair to get from check-in to the gate, which he refused.

Airline wheelchairs typically have to be pushed by an attendant, a situation that Fearnley equated to a non-disabled person “having your legs tied together, your pants pulled down and be carried or pushed through an airport."

As a result, Fearnley hauled himself across the terminal at Brisbane Airport, including to the toilet, before boarding the plane unassisted.

Jetstar has since issued a statement apologising, saying any embarrassment or hurt was “not intentional.”

Fearnley said that the airline had told him it was working on new procedures for boarding wheelchair users.

"As long as that's going ahead, I'm more than happy," he said.