Townsville’s Julie Brice calling out airlines for lack or wheelchair travel options

A Townsville woman living with quadriplegia is fighting for equal and fair air travel, after several airlines have denied her request to travel with her electric wheelchair.

Townsville woman Julie Brice is a paraplegic and is unable to fly with her electric wheelchair due to airline companies refusing.

A Townsville woman living with quadriplegia is fighting for equal and fair air travel, after several airlines have denied her request to travel with her wheelchair.

Engineer Julie Brice, who has a spinal cord injury, uses a specialised electric wheelchair and requires a hoist to be moved in and out of it.

Airline companies have told her due to weight restrictions on cargo, she is unable to fly with her electric wheelchair.

In the past Ms Brice has had to rely on someone to drive her electric wheelchair to her when she travels and once had to hire someone to drive her electric wheelchair from Townsville to Adelaide, a distance of more than 2500kms, adding extra stress and costs to her trip.

Townsville woman Julie Brice is a paraplegic and is unable to fly with her electric wheelchair due to airline companies refusing, pictured with Federal Member for Herbert Phillip Thompson.

She said currently the only airline she can fly with out of Townsville is Qantas, as none of the other airlines have the “capacity or willingness” to have a hoist to move Ms Brice in and out of her chair and onto the plane.

“Unfortunately, Qantas have outsourced much of their flights to Alliance and the aircraft can only take a wheelchair or mobility aid that is weight limited and my wheelchair is 195 kilograms,” she said.

“There is no way to make it lighter.”

She and Federal Member for Herbert Phillip Thompson are taking their fight for fairness and equality and calling on the government and Australian airlines to stop the “discrimination”.

As a structural engineer, Ms Brice is urging airlines and emerging technology providers to be proactive in providing accessible and non-discriminatory air travel, rather than waiting for the government to “drag them kicking and screaming to the table.”

“The challenges of me being without my electric wheelchair even for short periods of time cannot be overstated.” she said.

Townsville woman Julie Brice is a paraplegic and is unable to fly with her electric wheelchair due to airline companies refusing.

“I have such complex needs that my basic morning routine takes up to three hours. It is beyond difficult to do everyday tasks, let alone without my chair.”

Having organised a meeting with Qantas, Ms Brice said she is hoping to have a conversation, using her engineering experience, with the carrier in terms of limitations that are in place.

“ … can we figure out something simple like putting the chairs on a bigger box and spreading the load over a bigger area?,” she said.

“I am sure that we can figure out a solution.”

Ms Brice said she would love to see people with wheelchairs be able to travel more effectively.

“At the end of the day we just want the same access to air travel that every other Australian has.”

Ms Brice has met with airline representatives to discuss the proposal.

Federal Member for Herbert and Shadow Assistant NDIS Minister Phillip Thompson has written to Australian airlines and the Albanese Government requesting urgent action be taken.

While he welcomes the initiatives under the Aviation Whitepaper Towards 2025, a “loophole” he says allows airlines to get away scott free.

“Under the Act, airlines are able to dictate that people with a disability aren’t allowed to travel with their mobility transport or wheelchair,” he said.

Townsville woman Julie Brice is a paraplegic and is unable to fly with her electric wheelchair due to airline companies refusing, pictured with Federal Member for Herbert Phillip Thompson.

“So many Australians rely on their specialised equipment to be able to function, it is completely unacceptable that in 2025 people with a disability are still being discriminated against in this way.”

In a letters to Qantas and Transport Minister Catherine King, Mr Thompson said he wants an urgent review undertaken to find solutions for the “outdated and unfair” policy.

“As a nation, we need to do better,” he said.

In the US, the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed last year that Delta Airlines are working on allowing wheelchair users to fly in their own wheelchairs, potentially by the end of 2025.

American Airlines were issued a $50 million fine last year for failing to provide safe wheelchair access and mishandling passengers wheelchairs between 2019 and 2023.

In response to Ms Brice’s experience, Transport Minister Catherine King said it was clear that the treatment of people with a disability by airlines and airports is “not good enough”.

“That’s why, through the Aviation White Paper, we announced we will protect the rights of people with disability who access air travel by creating new disability standards,” she said.

“This is an important issue and we’re not wasting time to get started. My department will soon hold workshops with people who have lived experience of disability and their representatives or carers.”

“The workshops will examine how they access air travel, for example the booking and pre-flight processes, the airport experience and in-flight. These conversations will contribute to the design of standards that will make air travel fairer and more accessible for people with disability.”

Originally published as Townsville’s Julie Brice calling out airlines for lack or wheelchair travel options