British passenger who moaned about Qantas staff calling her 'Miss' rather than 'Doctor' hits back after trolls mock her 'First World problems' (12 Pics)

Dr Siobhan O'Dwyer, an Australian academic currently working in the UK, took to Twitter on Friday to complain after she was called Miss instead of Doctor on a Qantas flight

A British academic who slammed Qantas after a flight attendant mistakenly called her Miss instead of Doctor has hit back at trolls who have mocked her for having 'first world problems.'

Dr Siobhan O'Dwyer, who has a PhD in Philosophy and is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter medical school, said the incident would never have happened if she was a man.

In the original post Dr O'Dwyer said 'Hey @Qantas my name is Dr O'Dwyer. My ticket says Dr O'Dwyer.

'Do not look at my ticket, look at me, look back at my ticket decide it's a typo and call me Miss O'Dwyer.

'I did not spend 8 years at university of be called Miss.' 

The posts went viral last week and Dr O'Dwyer said the public response from her string of tweets had been 'pretty hateful', with some tweeting offensive gifs and others accusing the Dr O'Dwyer of having an 'ego'.

Some even said the issue was typical of 'first world problems' and insinuated that in the wider context of things it was not that important.

Dr O'Dwyer said to her followers: 'The vitriol in my feed at the moment is staggering,'

She defended her post, saying it was not about ego, but rather 'highlighting one of a thousand instances of sexism that women encounter every day'. 

After the original complaint to Qantas a number of people showed their support for the Dr.

Dr Saunders said: 'Wow, responses to this are a nasty blend of anti-intellectualism and sexism. :('

Another user Lisa Lindley, highlighted the heavy administrative burden of a simple name change to Dr.

But, as is so often on social media, Dr O'Dwyer was also targeted by trolls for speaking up. 

Dr O'Dwyer is also targeted by a number of trolls for her post.

In one a man posts a gif of the Scottish character from hit Hollywood film Austin Powers saying 'Boohoo'.

After Dr O'Dwyer is defended by a fellow poster he then accuses her of having '1st world problems'.

Another poster says she should 'tone down on ego, ok?' 

Dr O'Dwyer responded to the comments she has received online and said: 'Copping so much flack for this tweet. This was not about my ego.

'It was about highlighting one of a thousand instances of sexism that woman encounter every day.

'It's not about the title, it's about the fact that this wouldn't have happened if I was a man.' 

Her original post received nearly 8000 likes and sparked debate about whether Dr O'Dwyer - who works as a lecturer on Ageing and Family Care in the UK - or the flight attendant was in the wrong.

Following waves of both criticism and support online, Dr O'Dwyer said she wished the tweet didn't go viral after receiving a 'staggering' amount of hate.

She refused requests for comment from media on the basis it could 'provide further opportunities for attack'.

Social media users were divided over whether Dr O'Dwyer's apparent snub on the flight was a sign of disrespect or a simple mistake. 

Fellow academic Dr Mel Thomson tweeted her support, writing: 'You have all of the solidarity on this issue.'

'I'm first gen to finish high school (let alone get several degrees) in my family … I'll be damned if some trolley dolly gets to decide what honorific I get called, FFS.'

Many people took offence with Dr Thomson's use of the term 'trolley dolly', saying it was disrespectful to women and the profession.

'Please don't refer to us as trolley dollies. We may not have completed a PhD however we are required by law 2 maintain quals (sic) that enable us to evacuate an aircraft in 90 secs, keep u alive in-flight, prevent hijacking, put out fires etc,' an airline steward using the Twitter handle Belleo tweeted.

'I have always used the correct honorific. And I have always been especially careful to ensure I used it when I saw it on a woman's boarding pass as I was proud to be able to support the woman and her achievements in a male-centric world,' she continued.

'You've just gone and sh*t on that with your condescending comment about us.' 

Fellow academic Dr Mel Thomson tweeted her support, but was slammed for calling flight attendants 'trolley dolly'

Dr O'Dwyer (pictured) hit back at the 'vitriol' in her Twitter feed after she slammed airline Qantas for misrepresenting her as 'Miss' instead of 'Doctor'

Tim Almond said he had two friends with doctorates who refused to use their correct title outside of professional conferences. 

'You're asking for trouble on an aircraft. A passenger gets stuck and they'll ask you for help,' he tweeted. 

Qantas said they stood by the professionalism of their cabin crew. 

'We are extremely proud of our cabin crew who respectfully serve our customers day in and day out and play a vital safety role,' a Qantas spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'Please don't refer to us as trolley dollies' an airline steward using the Twitter handle Belleo tweeted

Twitter users were divided over Dr O'Dwyer's reasoning, with some accusing her of making a big deal out of nothing and others agreeing it was a case of sexism. 

'Your tweet is exactly about ego. How many male doctors write tweets to Qantas  complaining they get called Mr & not Dr ? If they did, they would cop exactly same the responses as you,' one man wrote.

'Why don’t the trolls understand that it’s about equality?,' argued another. 

Dr O'Dwyer took to social media to say she had been 'copping so much flak' for the post

Fellow academics, including University of Melbourne's Marcia Langton, voiced their support for Dr O'Dwyer