A US tourist has sparked controversy by calling a country's national airline a “budget airline” in a travel magazine.
When travelers visiting foreign countries without doing their research, amusing missteps can quickly ensue – just ask Autumn Gruber (@hauten_gruber).
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Self-proclaimed “Corporate Bestie” and travel and marketing expert, the American A traveler has angered hundreds of people by accidentally calling Ireland's national carrier a budget airline in a recent statement. Tic Tac video.
Gruber sparked controversy by sharing a positive message goodbye of a cheap flight on which she took Aer Linguscalling it “the best money I’ve already spent.”
“I flew alone from New York to Dublin for $150 on a budget airline. And this is how it went,” she said in the video.
She explained that because she was traveling on a budget airline, she wasn't sure what to expect.
“As soon as I got to the airport, I decided to go get some snacks because I wasn't sure what the airline would have available on the plane,” she explained .
She then doubled down on her disbelief by praising the “budget airline's” spacious seats and freebies.
“I was impressed because, for a low-cost airline, on such a cheap flight, I didn't expect anything,” she said.
She said her only criticism of Aer Lingus was that her flight arrived at 4.30am, earlier than most places were open.
THE COMMENTS FLOODED IN
With more than 85,000 followers on TikTok, the traveler's post quickly garnered hundreds of comments, many of them about the “budget airline” fallacy.
“How to annoy an entire country! Call our national airline a low-cost airline. It's a national institution,” one person responded.
“All flights from North America arrive very early in the morning, whether United, Delta, Aer Lingus, Air Canada. It’s not an Aer Lingus thing,” said another.
SOME TOOK IT PERSONALLY
“A budget airline!! Girl, it's our national airline – you should have been turned away at the border,” a third person joked.
“It hurts to hear so many budget airlines, I'm cabin crew at Aer Lingus and it's a 4 star airline,” added a fourth.
“Unintentionally we started a war by calling our beloved Aer Lingus a budget airline,” joked another.
Representatives for Aer Lingus did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the US Sun.
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