Elizabeth Hurley Mocked As Dramatic And 'Entitled' After Melting Down Over 20-Hour Flight Delay
Even icons aren't immune from the nightmare of air travel — but do they have a right to complain?
Instagram No matter how rich or iconic they may be, even celebrity status can't insulate people from the nightmares of Christmas air travel — just ask supermodel and actor Elizabeth Hurley.
Thousands were left in the lurch this week when a series of cascading delays grounded flights and stranded British Airways passengers all over the UK, Americas, and Caribbean — just in time for Christmas.
Unfortunately for the company, the 57-year-old model and former star of "Gossip Girl" was one of them.
Elizabeth Hurley called out British Airways on Twitter, claiming she was 'stranded' for 12 hours without food or water.
Hurley took to Twitter to express her outrage over what she says was a 20-hour flight delay that left her stranded at the airport on the Caribbean island of Antigua.
Tagging the airline, Hurley wrote about being "stranded at Antigua airport with no food or water, taxis or hotels offered yet. Plane delayed 20 hours."
Photo: Twitter
Just reading that probably gets many travelers' hackles up, but it got worse from there for Hurley.
After roughly five hours, Hurley finally gave up, tweeting that she'd "managed to find a taxi...to escape airport after more than 12 hours with no food or water #avoidflying" after the airline offered no help.
She added sarcastic kudos for the airline, writing, "Extraordinary service!"
Hurley's complaints to British Airways were poorly received by many people online.
Many people online weren't exactly feeling sympathetic for the plight of a celebrity with a net worth of $50 million stuck in paradise.
Several called her "entitled" for complaining about being stranded on Antigua of all places, a Caribbean island known for its exclusive resorts.
One wrote that it was a "bit difficult to feel sympathy Liz - you're in Antigua !!" while another snapped, "seriously...you are complaining about being stuck in Antigua? I do think you have a 'first world problem' there."
Others criticized her for being angry she had to pay for her own taxi and refreshments, especially given the low-grade service most airline travelers receive nowadays.
One angry tweeter sniped, "Bloody hell, can a multi-millionaire not just pay for her own taxi, water and hotel if so desperate? Or do you only do paid partnership deals?"
Another wrote, "Welcome to how the rest of us [are] treated."
And many found Hurley's complaints particularly galling given the UK's ongoing cost of living and energy crises, which have seen prices for food and heating soaring to astonishing levels.
As one person put it to Hurley, "Wow, must be difficult having no other worries than this, people are dying in UK... can't afford to put food on the table, and pay for heating."
Just in case their ire wasn't perfectly clear, the person added a withering, "Have a nice holiday."
Others found Hurley's complaints about not being given food or water hard to believe.
One sarcastically tweeted at Hurley, "Does the Antigua airport not sell food or water?"
Another person cracked, "I asked ChatGTP if Elizabeth Hurley is capable of using a vending machine to buy a bottle of water and a sandwich - the AI said yes…"
You have to admit, they've kind of got her there.
The British Airways delays caused a harrowing mess for people all over the world on December 19 and 20.
Delays were reported all over the world, with UK-bound long-haul flights from Denver, New York, and Miami seeing particularly messy delays due to technical issues with the airline's flight-planning software.
On the other side of the pond, things quickly turned disastrous at London's Heathrow airport, where staffing shortages combined with IT glitches.
Planes were left parked on tarmacs for hours and baggage piled up all over British Airways' Terminal 5.
Hurley wasn't the only one complaining, either.
Twitter exploded with passengers all over the world griping of plights similar to Hurley's — huge delays and little information or compensation from the airline.
British Airways are expecting even more horrific delays over Christmas and New Year's due to an upcoming strike among border control workers.
Someone let Hurley know she should save any further trips to paradise until after the holidays.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.