Aussies call out ‘entitled’ Bachelor star Brittany Hockley for airline rant

Fans have called out Brittany Hockley after she slammed Etihad Airways for charging her $1,000 for extra baggage on a flight from Sydney on Friday.

The former Bachelor star, 32, complained about being slapped with an additional fee for her second bag, and was further outraged when she was denied a complimentary upgrade to first or business class. 

Everyday Aussies have since slammed Brittany on Facebook, with one saying: ‘Let me see. Entitled? Just like footballers, tennis players, cricketers that seem to be able to travel when others can’t.’

‘Enjoying her 15 minutes of fame’: Fans have called out Brittany Hockley after she slammed Etihad Airways for charging her $1,000 for extra baggage on a flight from Sydney on Friday

‘First class is expensive, you don’t just get upgraded because it’s empty. Poor thing, they didn’t know she is enjoying her 15 minutes of fame,’ a second user wrote.

‘You booked cattle class, why should the airline upgrade you, you are NOBODY,’ a third agreed.

‘Now for some reason the words “entitled little flog” have flown into my mind but I have no idea why,’ commented another.

Rant: The Bachelor star complained about being slapped with an additional fee for her second bag, and was further outraged when she was denied a complimentary upgrade to first class

Rant: The Bachelor star complained about being slapped with an additional fee for her second bag, and was further outraged when she was denied a complimentary upgrade to first class

'Entitled': Aussies have since slammed Brittany on Facebook, with one saying: 'Let me see. Entitled? Just like footballers, tennis players, cricketers that [can] travel when others can't'

‘Entitled’: Aussies have since slammed Brittany on Facebook, with one saying: ‘Let me see. Entitled? Just like footballers, tennis players, cricketers that [can] travel when others can’t’

However, some fans disagreed and said ‘$1,000 was excessive’ for an additional bag.

‘I don’t think this is entitled. $1,000 is excessive. Then when you see the empty plane. Wow. It’s a wonder they flew at all,’ one supporter wrote.

‘$1,000 is ridiculous. Totally not fair,’ another added.

‘How ridiculous. $1,000 for a bag, no one else on the flight and they wouldn’t even give her an upgrade. Pathetic,’ a third agreed.

One fan said they worked in the travel business and could confirm the extra charge was unfair.

They said: ‘She’s not entitled – as someone who works in aviation, I totally agree with her. They weren’t transparent about the costs to begin with and considering that [$1,000] is the cost to upgrade… it’s really poor form on the airline’s part.’

'It's ridiculous': Some fans disagreed and said '$1,000 was excessive' for an additional bag

‘It’s ridiculous’: Some fans disagreed and said ‘$1,000 was excessive’ for an additional bag

On Sunday, Brittany shared a series of Instagram Stories in which she explained how she had trouble booking an extra bag on the Etihad Airways website.

Upon arrival at the airport, she claimed she was hit with a $1,000 fee for her second bag, and was denied an upgrade to first or business class when she asked.

She was travelling from Sydney on a work permit to provide administrative services for her tennis player boyfriend Jordan Thompson, who is competing in Europe.

Brittany wrote: ‘So because I’m working overseas I had to take an extra bag for equipment. So a total of two bags.

‘I tried to book the extra bag online but the website wouldn’t let me. So I called up. They also wouldn’t let me. Said it had to be done at the desk. Asked for a cost for an extra bag, she “couldn’t tell me – she had no figures”.’

Not pleased: Upon arrival at the airport last week, the 32-year-old claimed she was hit with a $1,000 fee for the extra bag, and denied an upgrade to first or business class when she asked

Not pleased: Upon arrival at the airport last week, the 32-year-old claimed she was hit with a $1,000 fee for the extra bag, and denied an upgrade to first or business class when she asked

She went on: ‘I get to the airport, they charge me an extra $1,000 for one bag. On an empty flight. $1,000 for one bag.

‘So I asked if I have to pay an extra $1,000 now can I at least upgrade. They said no, they can’t, because “it’s a food thing.” Actually unbelievable @etihad.’

The former reality star then deflected potential concerns that she could be seen as ‘entitled’ for making the request.

‘Asking for the upgrade is not being “entitled” but that’s what it costs to bid for the upgrade anyway,’ she said.

She complained: 'I get to the airport, they charge me an extra $1,000 for one bag. On an empty flight. $1,000 for one bag... Like, $1,000 for an extra bag under any circumstance is ridiculous'

She complained: ‘I get to the airport, they charge me an extra $1,000 for one bag. On an empty flight. $1,000 for one bag… Like, $1,000 for an extra bag under any circumstance is ridiculous’

‘And the seats were empty. I’ve never flown anything but economy ever so would have been nice seeing as though I paid the extra anyhow. FYI First class and the other cabins had a few people in there.

‘I get that they need to make money, but not being able to do it on the website OR over the phone then being stung for $1,000 at the airport and no upgrade when I’ve paid the money anyway and it made no difference once on the plane seemed a lot.

‘Like, $1,000 for an extra bag under any circumstance is ridiculous.’

Brittany also shared a video of the empty-looking plane, alongside the sarcastic caption: ‘I hope they serve me first.’

Permit: She was travelling from Sydney on a work permit to provide administrative services for her tennis player boyfriend Jordan Thompson (left), who is competing in Europe

Permit: She was travelling from Sydney on a work permit to provide administrative services for her tennis player boyfriend Jordan Thompson (left), who is competing in Europe

An Etihad Airways representative told Daily Mail Australia: ‘Etihad is aware of this particular case and while we are disappointed that Ms. Hockley was not fully satisfied with her travelling experience, we stand by the way this case was handled.

‘Ahead of the flight, our guest services team informed the passenger of the excess baggage fee per kilogram, which is fixed according to the end destination. It was also explained that as a codeshare flight, excess baggage had to be purchased at the airport.

‘Due to the limited capacity available in support of critical cargo movements globally, there is, unfortunately, a premium on cargo and baggage costs.

‘While we do our best to accommodate guests, it is not always possible to provide upgrades at the time of check-in, depending on the catering provisioned for the flight.’

'We stand by the way this case was handled': Etihad Airways has defended its decision to charge her an additional $1,000

‘We stand by the way this case was handled’: Etihad Airways has defended its decision to charge her an additional $1,000