THE boss of Heathrow airport has pleaded with passengers not to fake the need for wheelchairs to skip long security queues at the airport, according to media reports.
Chief executive John Holland-Kaye told LBC radio that people are using this 'hack' after watching a video on TikTok.
“For passengers requiring wheelchair support, we have had more demand than we’ve had before the pandemic. Now, why is that happening? Some of this is because people are using the wheelchair support to get fast-tracked through the airport,” Holland-Kaye was quoted as saying by LBC.
“That’s absolutely the wrong thing to be doing - we need to protect that for the people who most need help.”
Last month, a TikTok user uploaded a video of themselves having pretended to have an injured ankle and been given a wheelchair while flying from Ibiza to Bristol.
Now the airport boss wants to know 'well in advance' the need for a wheelchair to make arrangements.
According to Holland-Kaye, the recent delays were partly caused by passengers “travelling with more than they normally would” and people failing to “check in all of their makeup” before going through security.
On Tuesday (26), Heathrow said a decision to cap flight numbers after it struggled to cope with a rebound in travel had delivered a marked improvement in punctuality and baggage handling.
The airport capped the number of passenger departures at 100,000 a day earlier this month to limit queues, baggage delays and cancellations, to the consternation of some airlines.
The airport reported an adjusted pretax loss of £321 million for the first half of 2022, after weeks of travel chaos.
Media reports said that the issue of passengers faking disabilities was first raised earlier in June with transport secretary Grant Shapps.
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.