Andie MacDowell defends complaint about being seated in 'tourist class' on plane

'Help I paid for first class & they put me in tourist,' MacDowell tweets

The American actress provokes fury on social media for complaining she was seated in economy (Getty Images )

Andie MacDowell has defended herself after complaining she was forced to sit in “tourist class” on a flight.

The 57-year-old, who is well known for her role in Four Weddings and a Funeral, took to Twitter to protest after being bumped down from first-class to economy.

Accompanied by her pet Chihuahua, MacDowell directed her tweet at American Airlines.

She subsequently received a barrage of criticism on social media.

But the American actress rushed to defend herself.

“I'm very happy flying in coach I'm happy on a bus or the subway but if I play for first class, that's where I want to be, that was the point,” the Groundhog Day star wrote on Twitter.

“Lord honey hate on me if it pleases you, I paid for a flight to volunteer for literacy & didn't get what I paid for," she added.

MacDowell continued by summing up the lessons she had learned from the saga.

"Lessons learned never, complain on Twitter & don't pay for first class on American Airlines, only express gratitude...can we move on now".