The UK’s busiest airport is slamming TikTok users claiming a "travel hack" is exacerbating ongoing travel chaos.
John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow’s chief executive said people pretending to be disabled to avoid lengthy queues is having a causing mayhem.
He said demand has “significantly increased” for travellers who require wheelchair support.
The airport boss said users on video sharing platform TikTok have been “recommending” the “travel hack” amid ongoing travel chaos which has brought much of the UK’s aviation sector to a standstill.
Disabled passengers are given the option to skip queues at security and use fast-tracked lanes.
They are also offered help to get through immigration, customs and baggage reclaim.
Passengers that fall into this category also have the option to be transported to their gate from departures via an electric buggy.
Speaking on LBC this morning, Mr Holland-Kaye said Heathrow has seen demand go up for passengers requiring support.
He said: “For passengers requiring wheelchair support, we have more demand than we had before the pandemic. Why is that happening?
"Some of this is because people are using the wheelchair support to try and get FastTrack through the airport, and we need to protect that for the people who most need help.
“If you go on TikTok that is one of the travel hacks people are recommending - please don't do that we need to protect the service for the people who need it most.
"The second thing is half of all the people who ask for the service only ask once they're on the plane. If you really need the service, you'll be better letting us know well in advance so we can make sure there are enough people there to meet your needs.”
One such user on TikTok shared a video showing him “fake hurting his leg to get through security quicker” on flight home from Ibiza, while another posted a “step-by-step” guide on social media demonstrating how to make the “hack” believable.
The airport boss’ claims come as bosses at Birmingham airport have also reported a 20 per cent rise in people asking for assistance.
The airport has had to buy more wheelchairs and take on extra staff to push them, airport bosses said.
Concerns were raised at a meeting back in June, which was attended by transport secretary Grant Shapps.
An inside source at the meeting told MailOnline at the time: "If people are pretending it’s potentially stopping genuinely disabled people from getting a place, and that’s pretty grim”.
The concerns over passengers faking health conditions for their own benefit come amid a summer of chaos for airports.
The Mirror reported earlier this month of bosses at Heathrow being instructed to reduce the number of seats sold on aircrafts instead of cancelling journeys altogether, to ease the travel chaos currently engulfing the industry.
By capping the number of people on flights, things will run more smoothly on the ground, it is hoped.
It is part of the airport's bid to reduce the risk of delay and cancellations ahead of the school summer holiday get-away.
Heathrow wants no more than 100,000 departing passengers to pass through their doors each day until mid-September.
The decision is expected to still result in the cancellation of over 1,000 flights this summer.
By kicking passengers off their flights, Heathrow believe they can bring numbers down by around 4,000.
