QANTAS PASSENGER LASHES OUT AFTER AIRLINE COMMITS INFURIATING ACT THREE TIMES: 'WE APOLOGISE'

•  Zoe Simmons' wheelchair was damaged during flight
• She wants better airline policies on handling mobility aids
• READ MORE: Aussie born without limbs handed harsh ultimatum from Qantas

A disability advocate has slammed Qantas after her wheelchair was damaged for the third time while flying with the airline. 

Melbourne woman Zoe Simmons lives with fibromyalgia - a chronic pain condition characterised by widespread muscle pain and tenderness, fatigue, sleep disturbances and cognitive dysfunction. 

Some individuals who suffer from fibromyalgia use mobility aids, such as a wheelchair, to help manage their symptoms like pain and balance issues. 

Ms Simmons had booked a round-trip from Australia to Japan and flew with Qantas from Melbourne to Tokyo along with her wheelchair. 

However, when she returned home and was handed back her wheelchair, she noticed it had sustained substantial damage.

She noticed parts of her wheelchair were broken, some of the metal warped and there were scratches that impacted its usability and safety. 

Ms Simmons noted it wasn't the first time her wheelchair had been damaged, with a more severe incident occurring in 2024 and 2021 - both while travelling with Qantas. 

Qantas did arrange for Ms Simmons' wheelchair to be repaired through a partnered repair service following her recent trip. 

Ms Simmons said it was unfair for disabled passengers to accept they have to repair their mobility aids themselves if damaged by the airline.  

'I just hate that it's so common, like what are they doing to our wheelchairs that causes metal to warp and break,' she told Yahoo.

'Last time I flew with them, they broke my wheelchair controller off. And it was just laughed off! I didn't have the energy to fight for such a small thing then.'

Ms Simmons added she had to explain the damage to her wheelchair to several of the airport staff who she said responded with 'dismissive sympathy'. 

When speaking to a manager, Ms Simmons said people with disabilities always advocated for themselves. 

The manager denied the claim that the burden fell on people with disabilities, claiming there were procedures and policies in place to advocate for them.

Ms Simmons criticised airlines on how mobility aids are treated, claiming carriers needed to stop treating wheelchairs as baggage and start handling them with respect.

She has called for airlines to implement better staff training, stronger policies and public reporting on wheelchair damage during travel.  

From December 2018, airlines in the United States were required to report any damage sustained to wheelchairs and scooters during travel.

Monthly reports consistently show between 25 and 30 wheelchairs are damaged during domestic travel every day in the US. 

Ms Simmons said airlines in Australia lack transparency and do not record or report incidents where mobility aids are damaged. 

Qantas reached out to Ms Simmons and advised her that their designated repairer did not service her type of wheelchair.

Ms Simmons then provided them with the details of a repairer who could fix her wheelchair.

'I am not that angry about my chair. What I'm angry about is that this is what we are expected to put up with — and much, much worse — every time we fly,' Ms Simmons said.

In a statement, Qantas said the airline 'sincerely apologised' for Ms Simmons' ordeal. 

'We sincerely apologise to Ms Simmons for the damage caused to her wheelchair,' a spokesman said. 

'We know how critically important mobility aids are, and we are investigating how this damage occurred.

'We are working closely with Ms Simmons to ensure the repairs are facilitated as soon as possible.'

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2025-06-04T05:00:03Z