I think it's great, and the company shouldn't have backed down.
It's juvenile to expect an airline to pay for something they didn't cause. We don't know if they caused the delay or not, but it seems likely that they didn't.
If I were running a service and someone spitefully insulted that service on blatantly irrational grounds, I'd refuse them service, too.
And if that's illegal in the EU---well, that's why I'd never run a business in the EU.
Sounds like a sure-fire plan, for failure. Turning away money from a customer because you don't like something they said on twitter is not only juvenile in itself, but also a terrible way to run a business. A better way is to address the customer's complaint in a respectable fashion. So it's either be right, win an argument, and don't get the money or take it on the chin and get the money. Seems pretty straight forward. Otherwise, why are you even in business?
It's juvenile to expect an airline to pay for something they didn't cause. We don't know if they caused the delay or not, but it seems likely that they didn't.
If I were running a service and someone spitefully insulted that service on blatantly irrational grounds, I'd refuse them service, too.
And if that's illegal in the EU---well, that's why I'd never run a business in the EU.