Gogglebox star with disability felt ‘dehumanised’ and ‘anxious’ while flying

Gogglebox star Simon Minty has spoken about his negative experiences of travelling after watching a powerful documentary.

The 56-year-old – who was born with dwarfism – tuned into Channel 4’s Fight to Fly, presented by Sophie Morgan – which led to him recalling ‘dehumanising’ treatment.

In the hour-long programme, former Loose Women star Sophie – who was paralysed as a teenager – highlighted how disabled customers can be treated on flights. As part of the investigation into the current landscape, disabled campaigners and friends went undercover and filmed their experience.

Throughout the programme, viewers saw a wheelchair getting broken, a person being told they couldn’t fly as their wheelchair was too heavy, another being manhandled without permission, and a pilot making a tannoy announcement insinuating a disabled passenger was to blame for a delay. In one particularly hard-hitting moment, a disabled man was forced to drag himself across the floor to reach the bathroom as there was no aisle chair he could use.

Simon didn’t initially plan to watch as he wanted to be able to ‘sleep unagitated’, but after tuning in he was compelled to share how he understood just what they were going through.

In a post on X, he began by telling followers about how he’s often forced to repeat information, despite filling out forms prior to arrival.

‘Turn up at check in and they have nothing. I’m an alien! I repeat the battery type and weight min five times each flight. Record was 12 people. Why?’ he asked.

Simon, who works as a disability consultancy and trainer, claimed that previously a captain had made an announcement blaming him and his scooter for a delay in taking off. ‘Truth? I send them all info weeks before, all agreed,’ he said.

He added that his scooter has been broken three times, which he described as being ‘beyond devastating’ and leaving him ‘tearful’. Although, he did point out that things have now improved with design, and airlines using plastic containers and asked why the same could not be done for wheelchair users.

He went on to explain how he feels travelling on an aircraft can be undignified, but he perseves.

‘I can walk on and off from the plane door yet the dehumanising treatment, not being listened to, loss of dignity, I’ve experienced many times.

‘More anxious flying than most things I do. Why? Despite the grief, I’ll keep doing it.’

Simon stated that more passengers with reduced mobility need to be present in the important meetings where decisions are made, and planned changes are implemented – something which he does not believe is currently happening enough.

‘Old but valid phrase, “nothing about us without us”,’ he wrote.

This is something that Simon is naturally passionate about. His company, Minty, works with organisations to ‘assist clients to deliver strategic and innovative programmes that improve the recruitment, retention, and promotion of disabled staff and deliver better services to disabled customers’.

He is also a regular on the small screen thanks to his role on Gogglebox, where he watches and critiques TV shows. He joined the cast in 2021 with his sister Jane, and they’ve quickly become a beloved part of the Channel 4 show.

Sophie launched her Rights on Flights campaign earlier this year. She is fighting for fines to be imposed when an airline fails, and an eventual redesign of aircraft to enable disabled passengers to stay in their wheelchairs while they fly.

Her plight took her to the White House to meet Joe Biden and saw her also attend meetings in parliament.

Her documentary was praised for exposing the shortcomings of travel for those with a disability, with many viewers sharing that what they witnessed left them in tears.

Sophie Morgan’s Fight to Fly is available to watch on Channel 4

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