Kurt Fearnley

[Peteoz77]

OK, So I understand that he is considered a "Hero" because he crawled the Kokoda Trail etc. but... wasn't it his choice to do that? I am not trying to say anything bad about his experience, and I think it was an amazing effort. Well Done Kurt! However, when he got to Brisbane Airport, and Jetstar said he had to give up his wheelchair, and have some people give him a free ride onto the airplane... did he HAVE to chuck a Hissy Fit? Where is our society going when a physically challenged person can throw a FIT when he is being taken care of 110%?

OK, so I understand that he didn't want a free ride, and he wanted to go another few hundred metres in his own chair.. but MAN, they wanted to take you to your seat.. why not sit back , relax, and get a free ride? Instead, he crawls through the airport. Now normally I would feel sorry for the guy.;. having to crawl... except for 2 things. #1 He didn't HAVE to crawl, he could have just taken a free ride to his seat and relaxed. and #2 He just crawled the entire Kokoda Trail... a few hundred yards through the airport should be a breeze...

To me, this is 200% about a precious Prima Donna trying to make a BIG deal out of nothing. Trouble is, the press is giving this guy airtime. I think He's a jerk that should shut up and take the free rides....

 

[OzBeer_MD]

I reckon that there is more to this story. Jetstar have rubbed him up the wrong way and the details are not yet public. That my take on it.

MD

 

[geoff_tewierik]

Never seen any wheel chair bound person use their own wheel chair in an airport - they always have the ones provided by the airlines which, and I think this is the main problem, must be pushed by someone, as they have the dinky little wheels and can't be used by the person sitting in the chair. Kurt's independent enough that he finds it insulting to be pushed around. I think he's using his current notoriety to make an issue out of something everyone else in a wheel chair puts up with when travelling.

 

[Adamt]

As far as I've read (I don't watch mainstream news shows for this reason), he didn't throw a hissy fit. At a conference or something he was speaking at he mentioned that he was unable to get a self-propelled wheelchair for the short trip. He didn't kick up a fuss, he didn't cry for attention or demand compensation or anything like that. He simply wanted to remain self sufficient, which I can understand considering his point of view. However, I can also understand the airline's point of view of not allowing a personal wheelchair (where naughty things can be easily concealed somewhere).

 

[Peteoz77]

Never seen any wheel chair bound person use their own wheel chair in an airport - they always have the ones provided by the airlines which, and I think this is the main problem, must be pushed by someone, as they have the dinky little wheels and can't be used by the person sitting in the chair. Kurt's independent enough that he finds it insulting to be pushed around. I think he's using his current notoriety to make an issue out of something everyone else in a wheel chair puts up with when travelling.

I agree. And sorry to say, but that wheelchair supplied by the airport is a godsend for many people, and not anything insulting. Kurt should get off his high horse and just take the free ride to his seat. I have to say that if I were in a wheelchair, and when I got to the airport, I could give it up and get a free ride, I would not see it as a necessary Evil, I would be happy they were looking after me so well. Poor Jetstar has to act like they did something wrong......

 

[Peteoz77]

As far as I've read (I don't watch mainstream news shows for this reason), he didn't throw a hissy fit. At a conference or something he was speaking at he mentioned that he was unable to get a self-propelled wheelchair for the short trip. He didn't kick up a fuss, he didn't cry for attention or demand compensation or anything like that. He simply wanted to remain self sufficient.

I don't know much about it either, except that he crawled through the airport, rather than take the free ride, then got to Canberra and bitched about how he was treated. If he chose to crawl, good for him! But then don't bitch about it.... And don't get on Jetstar's or anyone else's case about it....

 

[jonocarroll]

As usual, the media has blown this out of proportion, and in favour of the person shouting (metaphorically if nothing else) loudest.

I'm fairly sure it's policy for the airline to use their own chairs to take passengers to the plane. This is likely for several reasons:

- it's guaranteed that the chair will get on the plane easily. No fussing with whether or not a specific chair doesn't quite turn in the way required to get it through the aisle,
- the (albeit overblown) security risk of someone's own chair being difficult to search properly,
- the image of 'doing something to help out' rather than expecting people to make their own way.

My reaction to the story is that this is a 'do you know who I am?' moment. I don't see why this bloke should get special treatment any more than the next person in a chair. It certainly does take a bit of shine of what was certainly a momentous achievement.

 

[Peteoz77]

As usual, the media has blown this out of proportion, and in favour of the person shouting (metaphorically if nothing else) loudest.

I'm fairly sure it's policy for the airline to use their own chairs to take passengers to the plane. This is likely for several reasons:

- it's guaranteed that the chair will get on the plane easily. No fussing with whether or not a specific chair doesn't quite turn in the way required to get it through the aisle,
- the (albeit overblown) security risk of someone's own chair being difficult to search properly,
- the image of 'doing something to help out' rather than expecting people to make their own way.

My reaction to the story is that this is a 'do you know who I am?' moment. I don't see why this bloke should get special treatment any more than the next person in a chair. It certainly does take a bit of shine of what was certainly a momentous achievement.

Amen! His accomplishment on the trial was Phenomenal. But this ruins it completely. Now he looks like a childish sook.. and it's not going to finish up well I feel...

 

[schooey]

Today's overly cautious society is the product of what most people see as ridiculous litigation in the past. Society has forced companies to be very careful when dealing with the public; Else they face the wrath of a team of hungry ambulance chasers. I'm sure that airline companies restrict the use of wheelchairs to their own, and their own trained staff for this reason.

Let's face it, we all have to make adjustments for this kind of thing in today's world. This dude just threw a wobbly over it, I'm sure he's not the first, able bodied or not. IMHO, he is being a bit prima donna-ish, but if he wasn't Kurt Fearnly that just crawled the Kokoda track, I doubt we'd have heard about it, and I doubt even less that Kevin Slice of Heaven would have made a statement about it.

 

[smudge]

I'd never heard of Kurt Fearnley before his Kokoda epic. I've always thought that walking (staggering?) that track was one of
the toughest things a person could do. Until I found out that Joe Hockey had done it and survived!

When I think of people like Fearnley I don't see the chair. If he's carrying on like a tosser at an airport to make a point he is
just like one of the thousands who pass through the gates at airports all over the country doing the same thing.

His manager/publicist deserves a pay rise. Because I promise you, he will be available as a key speaker for around $10,000
when next year's seminar season starts. First to sign up will be the Govt Depts and then the blue chip companies.

I'm not having a go at him. I'm sure Kokoda can be a life changing experience. But the sceptic in me always looks at the bottom
line......."who is going to make a dollar out of this?"

Kurt has probably achieved more personal goals in his lifetime than I ever will. And I wish him good luck!

Cheers,
smudge

 

[haysie]

Joe Hockey really did it?

With you Smudge, publicity max.


edit. who`s Kurt Furnley? Ahhhhh the Jetstar man!

 

[smudge]

Joe Hockey really did it?

With you Smudge, publicity max.


edit. who`s Kurt Furnley? Ahhhhh the Jetstar man!

FFS haysie,

Why do I get the creepy crawlies up my spine whenever you agree with me after 10.00pm at night?

It's almost enough to make me think I might have misread the whole situation.

 

[jonocarroll]

Joe Hockey really did it?

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s1627882.htm

Along with pre-PM KRudd and Kochie... publicity stunt to the max! The shirts just scream honour and recognition of suffering... and $$$$$$$.

 

[haysie]

FFS haysie,

Why do I get the creepy crawlies up my spine whenever you agree with me after 10.00pm at night?

It's almost enough to make me think I might have misread the whole situation.

\

You did dickhead, now the rant starts, lol, all in fun.

 

[Bribie G]

When SWMBO had a stroke in Geelong and, after a month in hospital there (thank God it wasn't in QLD or she would have died) we got back to Brisbane airport via Jetstar they didn't provide a wheelchair. They provided a chauffered golf buggy type transport with a big flashing light on the top to clear pedestrians out of the way as they gave us a V.I.P. ride to the luggage checkout, then out to the car. On em.

 

[np1962]

Let's forget the person and look at the issue.
The guy had to give up his mobility and was told he had to use an airline supplied chair that would be wheeled to a holding area where he would have to wait until it was time to board, an hour and a half! During this time he would have to stay where he was as he couldn't wheel the chair himself and no one else was allowed to push him around.
If I had to sit and wait to board a plane I would like the fredom to move around during that time. Why shouldn't a guy in a wheelchair have the same option.
He is not the first nor will he be the last disabled person to be treated badly. He just had an outlet to vent his frustrations. In fact he was on the radio with Ray Hadley earlier in the day and specifically asked that this wasn't raised during the interview.
Cheers
Nige
Father of a disabled child, so yes I have an affiliation.

 

[geoff_tewierik]

The shirts just scream honour and recognition of suffering... and $$$$.

Yeah, I have to drive past Executive Excellence every day for work, they have a big arse pic of people walking on the Kokoda track plastered across the side of the building.

 

[bigfridge]

Gee I am glad that this is not a thread about brewing because I have never seen so much mis-informed, opinionated drivel in my life.

From what I saw today on various news sources was that he was speaking at a conference and the comments were made as part of his presentation.

The facts are that he had to wait nearly 2 hours for his plane and the normal procedure is that you use your own wheelchair until you are ready to board the plane and then at the gate you transfer to a narrow wheelchair so that you can be taken to your seat. The 'plane capable' chair is designed to be pushed by airline staff and is narrow so that it can fit in the plane aisle, and they pop your normal chair in the cargo hold for the duration of the flight.

In Kurt's case, they did not follow this procedure and said that he would have to swap to the plane chair at checkin and be pushed to the gate - where he would have to wait the 90 minutes just sitting there without any assistence, toilet breaks, food, drink etc. This is why he said that he would just prefer to crawl around to be able to do 'normal' things while he waited for the boarding time.

I don't think that any of us would want to sit in the same place for 90 minutes waiting for the boarding time.

HTH,
David
(The informer)

 

[RetsamHsam]

As others have stated I don't know whether or not he kicked up a stink at the check-in counter..

The story on 2GB in the morning pointed out that the wheelchair had to be checked in due to the fact that it would not fit through the doors at the boarding terminal (and I amguessing they did not have provisions to check any large luggage at the boarding gate)

The story in the afternoon went more along the lines of "Kurt Fearnley was FORCED to crawl through brisbane airport" what a load of shit... He wasn't forced to do anything, he was offered an alternative chair it was his choice to crawl through the airport

Edut: This just came up on the channel 10 news and Kurt likened the experience to an able bodied person having their pants taken off and being carried through the airport.. :huh:

 

[RetsamHsam]

the normal procedure is that you use your own wheelchair until you are ready to board the plane and then at the gate you transfer to a narrow wheelchair so that you can be taken to your seat. The 'plane capable' chair is designed to be pushed by airline staff and is narrow so that it can fit in the plane aisle, and they pop your normal chair in the cargo hold for the duration of the flight.

This is the normal procedure for most other australian airports, but not at the Brisbane domestic terminal.. 'I'm guessing' they don't have the provisions to transfer anything to the cargo hold once you have reached the boarding gates..