A few hours late? Greg Norman’s Qantas rant is so ‘entitled’
Updated . First published
Opinion: Aussie sporting legend Greg Norman has unleashed on Qantas after an almost three-hour delay to his Sydney-Dallas flight, but all I could think was, ‘Really, Greg?’
The US-based golfing star was headed back home after spending time in Sydney for the NRL grand final, only for his flight to leave later than planned. What’s worse, he had to wait an hour for his luggage at the other end, all after ‘suffering’ through the whole flight with no Wi-Fi.
Golf star Greg Norman has blasted Qantas online. Getty Images
While I agree a delay to a flight is a frustrating and inconvenient occurrence during travel, did this blip in your plans really warrant such a spray online?
Norman lashed out at Qantas on social media, calling it a “never-on-time airline” (a title, I’ll be honest, I thought was more aligned with Jetstar’s reputation) and formally declared he would be “looking elsewhere” for future travel.
“Too bad, as @Qantas was once one of the top 3 in the world for a great travel experience,” he wrote. “Alas no more #whathappened. Profit before customer caring, reputation and service!?”
Greg Norman spruiked Qantas for decades, going back into the 1990s when this ad was displayed. Supplied
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed to nine.com.au: “Unfortunately, our flight from Sydney to Dallas Fort Worth on Saturday was delayed departing Sydney while our engineers fixed a fuelling issue.”
As a result, the flight arrived 2 hours and 35 minutes later than scheduled.
Given Norman was a celebrity ambassador for Qantas for decades, it would not surprise me if those horrible two-and-a-bit hours were spent enjoying the free food and drinks on offer in the lounge.
The golfer’s flight from Sydney to Dallas was delayed by almost three hours. AP
Imagine, on the flip side, you’re stuck in Sydney airport without lounge access and have to find a way to feed and entertain a toddler for hours longer than planned?
Let me tell you, the thought of running out of snacks before the flight even takes off fills me with the kind of dread only parents who have travelled with kids will understand.
I’ve also enjoyed delays of over nine hours before, without lounge access. My back still feels out of whack from the hours I spent curled on an armchair in the middle of the night at Changi Airport. The floor would have been a better option.
Airport delays are not fun. iStock
His rant didn’t end at the delay, either. Apparently, things went downhill once on board.
“And not to have Wi-Fi in this day and age with the cost/ticket - #insane #dated,” he went on.
Qantas is still rolling out Wi-Fi on its A380s, the airline confirmed. But remember when planes didn’t even have individual in-flight entertainment screens?
I get it, Qantas hasn’t had the best run of things lately and there is a growing sentiment that Australia’s once beloved national airline isn’t what it used to be.
However, the airline stood firmly by the famous “Great White Shark” for decades, and to me, this complaint drove home how out of touch Norman is.
In a cost of living crisis, where some people can only dream of being able to get on a plane at all, this entitled rant truly misses the mark.
