Delta Airlines Denied the Champion U.S. Curling Team an Upgrade, and People Are Pissed

Gold medals aren’t good enough for first class?

U.S. Curling Team
Photo: Getty Images

After last weekend’s loss to Norway put the U.S. curling team on the bubble of elimination, no one expected to see them on the Olympic podium. 

The five athletes—John Shuster, Tyler George, Matt Hamilton, John Landsteiner and Joe Polo—surprised the world by winning their next five matches. The final victory, against the top-ranked Swedish team, earned America its first-ever gold medal in the sport. 

There was no better time to ask for a bump to first class on the plane ride home.  

Delta our Olympic curling champions are flying home on Monday,” tweeted the official USA Curling account. “Upgrades?!? GoldMedalists CoachPhill TeamShuster.”

Delta congratulated the team… then publicly announced that they would not offer the Olympic champions any upgrades. 

“We are honored to be your ride back home!” Delta tweeted. “While we don’t have any upgrades to offer, we look forward to seeing you on board. Thanks for flying with us!”

Both USA Curling and team member Tyler George responded with grace and understanding.

Other responses, however, weren’t so friendly. Furious Twitter users berated the airline, with some even calling for boycott.  

https://twitter.com/ChowardPena/status/967520979848187910

https://twitter.com/IrishOGorman/status/967572081058590720

https://twitter.com/lilGator327/status/967577048943280128

Hours earlier, Delta had announced that they would no longer offer group travel discounts for the National Rifle Association.

This move, in combination with their denial of the curling team’s request for an upgrade, made some Twitter users question the American airline’s patriotism. 

https://twitter.com/MetricButtload/status/967525997712097280https://twitter.com/sunbeltengines/status/967580669965684737https://twitter.com/dojoroda1/status/967573749292814337

For the sake of their PR people, let’s hope Delta can stay out of the headlines for the foreseeable future.  

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