Disabled Florida passenger is forced to use an airport wheelchair after his own is stolen at the gate: ‘Thank God I had an AirTag on it’

Air travel can have its moments of challenge for everyone. However, Dave Corredor just had an experience that could be considered a nightmare for most people who rely on wheelchairs. The Florida-based content creator regularly creates content about his life with a disability. As he exited his Southwest flight, it was to find his personal wheelchair taken right from under the noses of the gate staff. His resulting post racked up over 793K views on Instagram and TikTok.

The video starts at the moment he tracked his wheelchair down, now in the possession of an elderly man who had his bag on the chair — it’s unclear from the video whether he knew it wasn’t his. As Dave pulled up in an airport-provided wheelchair, he told the older man, “That’s my wheelchair.” The man responded calmly, asking, “How do I get one?” Dave replies, “I don’t know, but that’s my personal chair.” The man just picks up his bag as the Southwest attendant steps forward to retrieve the chair for Dave.

The on-screen text of the post gives us the context. Dave wrote, “POV: Your wheelchair gets taken by someone at the gate.” He then noted how he tracked his chair down, writing, “Thank God I had an AirTag on it and was able to track it to the bar buddy was at,” which he claimed was at another concourse. In the caption, he noted that thanks to his AirTag, he was able to make his connecting flight, with the mobility device key to his independence.

A common experience

The comment sections on his posts, especially on Instagram, were flooded with people who have dealt with similar frustrations. One user shared, “Some older lady stole my chair to put her dog (in a pet carrier) on to so she could push it up the gate instead of carrying it. The gate agent was so stunned he didn’t actually do anything. One of the flight attendants did a double take, confirmed thats my chair, and ran after the old lady.” 

Another user shared, “This happened to me when I got off a flight in Aruba! My mom had gotten off before me only to find my chair missing and some lady already sitting on the transfer bus IN MY WHEELCHAIR!! And just like this she didn’t even apologize just rudely said she needed one so she’d grabbed mine.” Of course, it should be noted that all we have is Dave’s perspective and it cannot be verified.

These stories are not just isolated incidents; they are part of a broader, systemic failure in air travel accessibility. As noted by Inside Hook in their coverage of travel issues, airlines losing or damaging wheelchairs is a massive, ongoing problem that often lacks any real accountability. 

They reported that the Department of Transportation had planned to roll out new protections for disabled passengers in 2024, including requirements for safe assistance and better handling of mobility devices. However, those rules have been paused. 

The DOT is currently engaging in a new rule-making process, and the earliest they will revisit the implementation of these protections is December 31, 2026. In a case outside of airports, a wheelchair user just demonstrated how Disney’s ‘accessible’ rooms weren’t really accessible.

Inside Hook reported that this delay is frustrating because the environment in airports is becoming increasingly hostile for those with disabilities. For instance, a man was recently offboarded when he couldn’t store his wheelchair battery. 

Additionally, there are harmful trends like “Jetway Jesus,” where able-bodied passengers requested wheelchair assistance to cut lines or avoid walking, only to hop up and leave the plane on their own. Per The Wall Street Journal, this behavior is being pushed on social media as a travel hack. One user reportedly posted, “Life hack: if the airport is real packed and you don’t want to wait in line, act injured and ask for a wheelchair.”

Inside Hook noted that this is not a harmless shortcut. When people fake a disability to get through security, they create operational bottlenecks and drain resources that are meant for people who actually need them. They pointed out that requesting a wheelchair when you don’t need one does not make you clever or efficient. 

For now, travelers like Dave are left to fend for themselves. While the DOT still maintains that airlines are responsible for repairing or replacing damaged equipment up to the original purchase price, Inside Hook pointed out that that doesn’t help when your chair is physically stolen or used by someone else in the middle of a terminal. 

They argue that the current systems in place are not enough to protect the dignity and independence of disabled passengers. There needs to be stricter enforcement and a real shift in how airport staff handles these devices. As one Instagram user noted, “Omg!!!! New fear unlocked!”