‘This was indignity’: passenger with disability left without wheelchair at Sydney airport

Simon, who lives with a disability, says he was left stranded at an air bridge at Sydney airport for an hour without any assistance. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

Snaking queues, cancelled flights and lost suitcases have been the story of air travel this year, but passengers with disabilities say they are falling through the cracks of the current wave of chaos at Australian airports, with some saying they feel humiliated as they’re forced to stand or sit on the floor waiting for wheelchairs.

Simon, who has severe spinal cord damage and nerve pain, had been travelling with his Australian wife Maisie and daughter Lucy for more than 24 hours when they arrived at Sydney airport in early June.