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TikToker's wheelchair-airport ruse sparks anger

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TikTok logoImage source, Reuters
Image caption,
Disability rights groups have condemned the passenger's actions

A TikTok video creator who feigned injury to use a wheelchair to help him skip airport queues has sparked anger.

The post was shared by user @wolfjenko from Leeds and has had more than 1.6m views. It shows him being wheeled to the front of a queue by Jet2 staff.

He flew from Milas-Bodrum Airport in Turkey to Bristol Airport in June, where he filmed himself admitting the ruse, then walking away once outside.

A Disability Rights UK spokesperson has condemned his actions.

Fazilet Hadi, the charity's head of policy, said: "If non-disabled people think that being a disabled person gets you a better service, they are sadly mistaken."

The now viral video, first posted on 21 June, shows the user taking off a sock.

In the video he can then be seen saying: "Faked hurting my leg to get through security faster."

His friends and airport staff push him through the airport and his friends are seen laughing as he jumps a queue.

"New low"

The group enters a wheelchair only area and @wolfjenko is given extra seats on the plane to rest his leg.

Once he has wheeled himself out of Bristol Airport he puts his shoes and socks back on and walks off.

While some on social media agreed with his actions, the video attracted other comments such as: "This really isn't funny, there are some of us that really need this!!!"

Another user said: "Wow, new low..."

Image source, Bristol Airport
Image caption,
The passenger wheeled himself through Bristol Airport and then stood up and walked away

Ms Hadi said there had recently been "a number of high profile cases" where disabled people were forced to wait hours for passenger assistance without any communication.

"Things are so bad that the Civil Aviation Authority has written to airports asking them to dramatically improve their support to disabled passengers," she added.

A Jet2 spokesperson said they did not condone his behaviour.

"It is extremely disappointing to see customers who do not require special assistance using this service and taking valuable resources away from those who genuinely need it," the spokesperson added.

TAV Airports, the company in charge of Milas-Bodrum airport, said it could not comment as the service was provided by the airlines themselves and not by the airport operators.

Bristol Airport also declined to comment as it said the "alleged behaviour" only took place at Milas-Bodrum airport.

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