Etihad Airways
Reviews and Complaints

We had a terrible experience at check in counter of etihad when we were flying from HYad to JFK via abu dhabi.

The staff at hyd airport promised and charged us business class seats from Abu Dhabi to JFK and made us wait for almost 2 hours and at the end told that we donot have our seats and put us back in economy. They even made us cancel our online bid for business class seats because they promised us that they can book us seats at ch ck in counter in hyd itself.

Manager name is Ravi sangani who conned us and probably gave our tickets to someone else. I would never ever fly etihad again and I am still waiting for my business class tickets refund to show up in my bank account.

I made the plans months ahead and would have received business class seats as I was the highest bidder but lost our seats and got amount charged without the seats.

Such a low life people and lying people in etihad Hyderabad airport, never trust anything they say and do everything like upgrades, checkin online.

Me and my wife waited for hours and this is how they treat people flying business class. It caused us som much stress during our travel and the fear of missing flights at hyd airport.

Dont ever travel with etihad and they seem to be employ unqualified people with no morals and ethics.

I am writing this email with utmost dissatisfaction.

My wife and daughter travelled through Etihad (see attached details) from Chennai to Memphis in September 2022. I paid an additional $336 for extra legroom seats from the Abu Dhabi to Chicago flight (2nd flight on the itinerary). Initially when I booked I chose the emergency row which allowed me to book and got the allocation as well. When they checked in Chennai they said under 18 cannot travel in emergency exit, So I rescheduled the seat to another wherein it confirmed and during the check in at Abu Dhabi gate they denied the seat and asked my family to travel in economy which they travelled and your officer at the gate said raise the refund for the additional legroom amount paid.

Since then I have been following up with your customer care and they are saying it will be processed and spoke to 5-7 agents and 3 supervisors including today Mr. Thahsin, Now today he is confirming the refund cannot be processed.

Please help me to get the refund.

Dear Sir,

on 20th August I went to Delhi, but in Amsterdam the flight was delayed and I missed the connecting flight to Delhi. You gave me a hotel to stay and the next day I could fly to Delhi.

By this I missed my trip together with others in India.

I would like to compensate my loss.

Enclossed you will find the ticket and the boarding pass.

You can make the payment to R. Bipat

Bank account: NL33INGB0002899435

Kind regards,

R. Bipat

28th September, I onboarded a flight from AUH to SYD, the plane had been changed last minute and our seats were subsequently changed. Okay, it happens. Cabin Crew informed us that we would be given a refund automatically for the extra legroom seats we paid for ($611). We waited almost a month and nothing. 25th October I filed a complaint with the request for a refund. I received the automated response that I would hear from someone within 28 days. It is not 35 days later and I have heard nothing. I have spoken to a multitude of people on Twitter and they give the same generic response over and over again.

All I want is the refund of my $611AUD. It can't be that hard for a company to provide a refund, it's not even worth them holding to gain interest.

I flew with Etihad from Dublin to New Delhi on 15th Oct 2022 under PNR - LLFCDI.

One of my baggage was damaged & I noticed this once I reached home. I immediately connected with the Etihad team over phone & reported the same. I was asked to file an online complaint. I did so & case no. [protected] was registered on 16th Oct 2022.

I was asked to furnish my boarding pass, passport copy, baggage tag, the images of the damaged bag & original bill of the bag. All of the above documents were shared by e-mail on 17th Oct 2022 except the bill.

After this there was a complete silence from Etihad's side & I didn't even receive a single acknowledgement mail. I assume this is known as being PROFESSIONAL!

On 3rd Nov 2022, finally I received first mail from Mr Ahmed from Etihad & offered me a compensation of USD 50 only for a bag worth EUR 250! I was told choose to accept this amount by 17th Nov 2022 or get no refund at all!

Since, I had no choice but to accept this unjustified amount, I reverted on the mail on 15th Nov 2022, well within the timeline mentioned in the mail, I still got a mail from Mr Ahmed on 17th Nov 2022 stating that since I have not replied to the mail within stipulated time frame, the case stands closed & I will not be paid any compensation!

This is really frustrating, but Etihad's harassment didn't end here!

While returning back to Dublin from New Delhi on 19th Nov 2022 under same PNR, I shared my concern with the team on ground at New Delhi, I was told that these cases are dealt with at Abu Dhabi airport only & I will have to connect with the team at Abu Dhabi.

I landed at Abu Dhabi at 7 AM & I was kicked from one counter to another for 3 hours at the airport & mistreated by the staff at the baggage claim counter. The airport was in such a sad state that there was not even a single Manager to address to my concern!

Till date I have not received a single mail about this issue from the airline & I have not compensated for damaging my baggage.

I booked tickets to see my family however I was not able to travel due to covid in 2021, Etihad did not want to refund me the tickets instead only offering me to store the credit to a travel bank with a 2 year time restriction.

As there was no other option I had to take it.

I wanted to book tickets for November 2022, so when I started to enquire I was told my travel bank/account did not exist.

That immediately stressed me as where could my credit have gone?

I wrote to Etihad on numerous occasions :

29th August 2022

31st August 2022

07th September 2022

06th October 2022

10th November 2022

I have also phoned numerous times only to be told my query will be looked in to.

I have received replies generally within a couple of days, firstly stating no such travel bank account exists and then my emails having been sent to the support team.

Firstly i'd like to request that my credit be transferred or sent to my UK bank account, I no longer have faith or confidence in Etihad and as such would like the matter resolved as soon as possible.

This is because I'd like to book tickets ASAP but am unable to because of your ineptitude.

They have caused me undue stress and sleepless nights, the amount in question is roughly £900 pounds sterling.

I believe I have been dealt with unfairly, firstly they stated no such guest account existed and then secondly, they have constantly kept stating another dept is dealing with my request.

The utter disregard to my query which could have been resolved earlier had anyone bothered to look into it is unbelievable, anyway I no longer wish to have any ties with Etihad so would like the credit sent to my bank account.

Hello ,

I’ve raised multiple requests and spoke to call center many times .

But I do not have any response or action from your representatives

Ticket Number : [protected]

Reservation Number : IOMXRC

Passenger Name : Leelavathy Chinnappa

We cancelled the flight due to covid and also due to repeat cancellations from EThiad too .

And till today I‘ve not received the REFUND .

Revert back to : manjula.[protected]@gmail.com

On the 6th October, I attempted to book a return flight from Manchester to Abu Dhabi in Business class; it would have been our third visit in 2022. When it came to paying, the system rejected all three of my credit cards even though they are clear and I have a large credit limit. After a number of attempts I tried my wife's credit cards and got the same rejection.

Next I tried direct bank transfer to Global Collect BV (payment reference [protected]) which Etihad accepted and I received confirmation of the booking with a 'Booking reference number IEXNCU (I have attached a copy). The money left my account at 16.30 on the same day (see screensaver of my account page). Since then I have not received any correspondence, emails etc. When I attempt to manage by booking on the Etihad website by using IEXNCU, I get a message that reads 'Something went wrong' (see screen saver). I have checked with my bank manager and the money has not returned to my account so it is somewhere in Etihad.

I have phoned a number of times and have been given promises to sort it out but nothing happens. On the 7th November, I was informed that my flight reservation has been cancelled and my money would be refunded. The refund could take up to 28 days. No explanation or excuse was offered and it was done in a matter-of-fact style. Consequently, I have had to cancel my hotel booking and onward flights to Qatar.

As an 'Etihad Silver Guest No. [protected]', can you tell me why I am being treated this way and when can I expect my money to be refunded.

On 2nd Aug 2022 I had cancelled my husbands ticket and on 3rd Aug the refund got expired. On asking the their support team I was told that the original expiry date will be applied. But I had cancelled 5 tickets in March 2021 during the 2nd covid wave in india and received an email saying that the travel bank refund is valid till 730 days I.e. till March 2023. I have lost around 81k INR and there is no right explanation given in this yet. I was told once that the expiry can be extended till September 2022. I’m attac

We asa family of 5, 2 adults and 3 children #, age 3yr, 1.5 yrs and 10 month old baby.

The flight from manachester was fine but once we had got onto the connecting flight to Pakistan this where the problems started.

> The plane was old and plane not entertainment

> THe service is poor on the plane

One would ask the question why are Pakistanis treated differently yo the rest of the world, why is there racism, are pakistanis not human beings like every one else.

> When we cam into land in Islamabad the weather was poor and undertstanderbly the pilot sevral times to land but was not able to

> The flight was diverted to Lahore

>The flight managed to land

> We were informed that the flight will be flying back to Islamabad, this was a relief with very young children.

> Then we were informed the runway is closed due to birds and that all passengers will need to take coauches back to Islamabad a 5 hour journey.

Knowing that the runway will open again at 08:30 thhey still made us travel by coach.

> This was a horrific joiurney not just for the passengers but for my children, who could not be fed in any way due to the circumstances., knowing the runway would open at 0830, they should have flown us back as this was only an hours wait.

> My children sufferred a terribly on this flight which should not be allowed to happen.

> The status of this airline and people being treated differently just becuase they belong to or are from pakistan is not exceptable in any form.

> The information given to the passengers should be the truth and falsify the information for there own gain.

> Knwoing this is a family unit , we were not alllowed to be seated together on the second legg og the journey.

> As an operator you should not be selling tickets that you can not provide the service for.

We are there for requesting a refund for the inbound journey.

My e mail is [protected]@gmail.com, my number is [protected] 650865.

THIS IS OUR LAST JOURNEY WITH ETHIHAD

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards

Shabir Hussain a Brittish Citizen

I requested for a reschudule of my return journey from Bangalote to Toronto Via Abu Dhabi on Dec 30, 2022, however the representative (Kesha) deleted from the Clerk team, the flight ticket on Dec 30, 2022 without confirming the rescheduled flght details. There is no confirmation on our return journey. The Booking reference is CXCOKU. I would request you to please confirm our return journey at the earliest or reschedule it or cancel it and refund us.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Ref CSDOQQ

On 7th October I took flight 18 from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi.

When I checked in my luggage, the officer asked for my previous passport. He said this was required because my current passport is not the same number as the one stated in my OCI card (Overseas citizen of India). I did not have my old passport with me. He then told me that there were new rules regarding OCI and passport changes, but that as the deadline had been extended to December he would make an exception and let me through.

This is completely incorrect and not applicable to me. I have an Indian birth certificate and as my OCI card was issued when I was over 50 years old, it is valid for life.

Furthermore it is no longer required to travel with the old passport which contains the U Sticker. All I need is my OCI card and current passport.

I have travelled in and out of India many times and never been told what your check in clerk said.

I'd like to complain regarding the misconduct of Etihad's boarding staff on flight EY74 from Zurich to Abu Dhabi on the 12th of November 2022.

I showed up on time for boarding, but boarding was late so I sat down and waited to get in the queue once the boarding had started. I put myself almost at the end of the queue, although there were still a considerable amount of people behind me, and when I got to the boarding desk they put me to the side because I had checked in online and they said they needed to swipe my passport. By the time the staff asked for my passport to swipe, everyone else had boarded. I could see that the staff rushed to finish boarding so the plane would depart on time. They rushed me to show them my flight back from my destination, my personal documentation and my COVID certificate. I was having trouble catching wi-fi at the boarding gate, so it took me a little longer to show them all my documentation (we are talking about a matter of 5 minutes), but it was not my fault they didn't start boarding on time leading to departure being late. The boarding staff was making me really anxious with the way they were speaking to me as if it was my fault that the plane wasn't going to leave on time.

I finally presented all my documentation and they told me I couldn't board and closed the gate. The excuse was that I was unable to show a valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate. I've attached the COVID certificate that I presented at boarding which is a certificate issued by the Portuguese National Health System, with an English translation and clearly stating that I am fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (1/1 = fully vaccinated).

Having recovered from COVID-19 3 times my overall number of doses is 1. Given my medical history, with one vaccine I am fully vaccinated and will not be contagious even in the unlikely situation that I catch COVID-19 again. I tried to explain this to the boarding crew, but they kept saying that recovery certificates do not work to enter Indonesia. I was not showing them a recovery certificate, as I am not in recovery right now, I was showing them the attached certificate of complete vaccination, however, they were pretending they didn't understand what I was saying, insisting I needed to get more vaccines. I spoke to them in clear English and we were not having communication problems.

On Etihad's website, you can simulate your flight and check the airline's requirements to fly to Jakarta (my final destination). Regarding the vaccination status, it says you need to be fully vaccinated. You can read: "to be fully vaccinated, you must have received both doses, or one dose of a single dose vaccine, at least 14 days before travel and hold a vaccination certificate.". I have one dose of a single-dose vaccine as it is clearly stated on the certification I presented upon boarding, and it has been more than 14 days which leads me to the conclusion that I was denied boarding due to a mistake. The boarding staff did not follow Etihad's rules as stated on the website and as a result, I lost my flights.

When talking to the dnata transfer desk at Zurich's airport, to see if I could get on the next flight, the lady in charge, Gabriella, after seeing my certification, started coming up with all the excuses she could come up with, all completely unfunded, to justify her colleagues' decision. It seemed clear to me there wasn't a plausible excuse and she was just trying to get away without helping me as she could. The excuses were:

- that I wasn't able to show my recovery certificates - when it has been clearly said by her colleagues several times that recovery certificates were not valid to travel to Indonesia.

- that I showed up late for boarding - when it was boarding that started later and I have no obligation to be at the beginning of the queue.

- that I needed to get a document from my doctor saying that I can fly - when that is only necessary for people not eligible for vaccination, as per Etihad's website. No other passenger was required to show this document when showing the vaccination certificate.

I asked her to get in touch with the airline to see if something could be done regarding this mistake and if I could get on the next flight. She denied saying that she has no way to make communications outside of the airport. It seemed weird to me that the only person present at the airport that could answer for Etihad wasn't able to communicate with the airline, but she insisted I needed to call from my phone. I called your Contact Center via my phone and was asked to put her on the phone. This phone call lasted almost 40min and ended when your Etihad's agent hung up on me mid-conversation without giving me a single solution. This phone call cost me almost 72€.

I'm still stuck in Zurich at the moment trying to rebook my flight. Still couldn't find anyone from Etihad present at the airport to give me an answer, file my complaint or ask for a refund. I am spending a lot of money at the airport on this and I'd like to be refunded for all my costs and the flight. The mistake is of no one's except Etihad's staff and my travel agency is unable to help further.

If Etihad's staff can't stay true to what is stated on the airline website then this is an unreliable airline. If you admit this was a human mistake then please let me know how I can submit all the extra expenses that resulted from this situation and ask for a refund.

I had booked a flight for my family from Hyderabad to Abu Dhabi on 08-NOV-2022, EY277, when my wife proceeded to get her boarding pass from the desk the staff there was not aware of what they need to check when they saw my families visa stamped on the passports, they are asking for the Emirate's id cards for all which they don't have at the time and when she asked about like why do u need to see my Emirates Id which is a government id card and it is supposed to be in U.A.E and it should be shown only in U.A.E but the manager was not so sure about that he was so rude with my family my wife was carrying 3 small kids along with her, But they never bothered to listen,

And at the same time i was calling the customer support in INDIA the numbers don't work they have given 3 different numbers on google but no number worked.

Then I tried calling customer service in U.A.E, and they answered, and they said there is no rule of such unless u have valid passport and visa you can board.

So I would like to ask the Etihad Airways is this normal for us to get harassed

at the airport with there staff unless you guys train the staff and ask them how to respond the passengers,

for sure I would Think Twice before I make any Booking with Etihad Airways,

Good day,

My name is Elena Makkhyu and I am writing you because of the problem which I faced during my flight ETIHAD AIRWAYS EY 460, the 08 Oct 22 - 09 Oct 22, from Abu Dhabi Airport, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to Tullamarine Airport, Melbourne, Australia, Booking reference QFKJFI. Please, find enclosed my electronic ticket.

For this flight I have reserved “premium seat” 42H and paid for this seat AUD214.8. According to the Seat Map Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300ER (77W) 2 Class v1. The seat 42H was really “premium seat” located near emergency exit and had extra space for passenger. That is why I chose this seat and paid for it.

Seat Map Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300ER (77W) 2 Class v1. Find the best seat on your next flight. (airseatmap.com)

However, the jet of ETIHAD AIRWAYS EY 460, the 08 Oct 22 - 09 Oct 22, from Abu Dhabi Airport, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to Tullamarine Airport, Melbourne, Australia was Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300ER (77W) 3 Class. My seat was changed from 42H to 42G. And according to the Seat Map Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300ER (77W) 3 Class the seat 42G (and 42H also) was not premium at all. It was not near emergency exit and did not extra space.

Seat Map Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300ER (77W) 3 Class. Find the best seat on your next flight. (airseatmap.com)

The flight attendant which I asked to resolve this problem said that she could do nothing because all of seats are occupied. She did the copies of my electronic ticket and boarding pass and said that Etihad Airways customer service would contact to me concerning this problem. If it is not happening during the 3 weeks after my arrive to Melbourne, I will have to write to Etihad Airways customer service.

Could you, please, advise me can Etihad Airways refunds me AUD214.8 which I paid for premium seat and did not have it

Sincerely,

Elena Makkhyu

My booking reference is GMOGED.

MY flight back to Incheon was overbooked so I had to use another flight without my husband. His flight was on schedule.

I already had my paid seat of Etihad but it's not accepted by the airlines of my new flight so I had to endure a terrible flight.

Why did I have to ? I bought my seat in advence and didn't get any excuse, apology or compensation from you.

I still don't understand with your company's behavior.

Refund my money!

I never use your airlines again. It's horrible!

Hello,

This is to share a bad experience on board of an Ettihad Airways Flight EY613 of Oct 16th, 2022 from AbuDhabi to Casablanca Morocco.

During the flight, someone has stolen money from my wallet which was in the outer compartment of my cabin suitecase. It was a night Flight "Take offe at 02:40am" and during the flight I slept for around 2 hours. I believe during this time "the light was turned off during the flight" somebody from inside the Airplane opened the luggage cabinet and got access to my suitecase and took my wallet then took money "6860.00AED" and return the wallet back to its place in the outer compartment of the suite case.

One hour prior to landing we've been asked to fill a sanitary form required by the Moroccan authority at the border cross line, I've tried to get a pen from my suitecase and I figured out that my suitecase was moved from its initial place, and at that time I said this is mybe because of the take off...

My seat was 24D which is on the left side of the airplane Boeing 787-9, so cabinet was empty and there was only my suitecase inside and I've placed it at the right side of that cabinet which means that during the takeoff it shouldn't move...

I figured out that I've been stolen when I reached my car at the Airport parking when I check my wallet, all my money was taken...

My money was there untill I got onboard, because I've bought some choclate and parfumes from the duty free...

My Booking Number : LYA243 Full name N.H (See attached)

Attached also the boarding pass for Departure from Morocco

I'll attach the return Boarding pass (Departure from AbuDhabi) later.

October 16, 2022

The Complaints Handling Manager,

Etihad Airways, UAE

Dear Sir/Madam,

Formal Complaint against Etihad Customer Services/ Handling, Moral & Ethical Values

Our journey with Etihad a trusted and tested airline of the family started on 26th September with myself, wife, elder son and youngest son flying from Sydney to Karachi via Abu Dhabi and return from Islamabad to Sydney via Abu Dhabi again.

This was the first of our holidays after the COVID outbreak and we all had good expectations and memories flying with Etihad in the past also. Little did we know that best experiences and services we had in mind would become a nightmare for the 2 members of the family travelling on earlier dates on their way back to Sydney.

Let me share the travel details for all four members of the family during this outward journey from Sydney to Karachi:

Outward Journey Sydney to Karachi:

Passenger Name Airline Ref No Comments

Wamiq R. Khan EY*YQTDPU Seat issues /Split Seats

Faiza Wamiq Khan EY*STTVZK Satisfactory

Maaz Khan Tareen (CHD) EY*STTVZK Satisfactory

Danial Khan Tareen EY*XZJUFM Seat issues/ split seats

1. The outward journey from Sydney to Karachi was reasonably satisfactory except that split seats were allocated to the family largely owing to the airlines policy of opening online seat selections only a few hours before the departure. Secondly it was my younger child’s birthday on the departure date from Sydney and as per reputation and customer care services of Etihad my wife requested an announcement from the flight purser or the pilot to announce a birthday wish for the customer to make the child happy. The request was blatantly refused by the crew to the total dismay of the family.

Return Journey:

Two members of the family Myself and Danial Khan Tareen (son) were booked to travel before my wife and younger son. Before getting into details of the sordid, unpleasant and totally unacceptable episode that awaited us, let me give out details of the returning passengers.

Passenger Name Airline Ref No Comments

Wamiq Rashid Khan EY*YQTDPU Totally unsatisfactory & unacceptable experience

Danial Khan Tareen EY*XZJUFM Totally unsatisfactory & unacceptable

1. Both of us went in the check in counter to board flight EY 232 from Islamabad to Abu Dhabi on 11/10/2022 to continue to our final destination by transferring to flight EY 450 to Sydney via Abu Dhabi (seats confirmed for both sectors). On approaching the counter boarding cards for the Islamabad to Abu Dhabi sector were provided only, asking us to go to the passenger transfer counter in Abu Dhabi to access boarding pass for our forward journey to Sydney. This was not normal practise as boarding cards for the two sectors is generally assigned at the time of departure. I had a bit of a heated argument with the traffic staff as they were unable to answer my queries for not being provided boarding passes for the next sector. All they could say was that the airline has blocked the forward allocations due to some reasons. I being a frequent traveller sensed some foul play at the onset of my journey. Having no other choice, we kept our fingers crossed and tried to brace ourselves to what awaited us in the offing.

2. On reaching the transfer desk on arrival in Abu Dhabi we were told to wait as there was initially news of overbooking and later equipment change which was causing the delay. Again, the experience with the ground staff at the transfer counters was very frustrating as no clear message was being conveyed. We also spoke with their senior staff an arrogant lady from Indian origin, who was not ready to hear anything and treating the customers in a harsh and loud tone. After a wait of 3 hours plus we were told along with some other passengers that we will have to stay back till the next day evening flight scheduled at 9:50 pm. As we were without our baggage, fresh clothes, medicines and other stuff needed for any stay over was not available with us. We were really disappointed as Etihad could not honour its commitments on confirmed seats with tickets issued months back.

3. Looking at it, this was the first time in my 50 years plus of travelling experience, I was faced with a situation that was emerging into an ugly nightmare that would follow especially with an organisation of repute i.e., Etihad Airways. On accepting the fate, we agreed and were provided each with some gift, hotel and Taxi tokens and were told to approach another counter for the taxi vouchers etc. There was no guidance as to the appropriate whereabouts of this counter. We ran from pillar to post to get the directions for this desk and after an hour of search, someone finally sent us to the concerned counter. Please keep in mind that all this untoward episode took place after 2 – 3 hours of flying and an accumulated time of around 7 hours of wait to get these bloody coupons.

4. “The story doesn’t end here on the said counter where we were to receive the coupons for Taxi, the staff manipulated and provided us with a one-way taxi coupon while managing to keep our gift coupons with them which were as told earlier $300 for each passenger”. The missing coupons were noted on arriving at the hotel hours later. We were also told that the hotel would arrange for our return journey to the airport which turned out to be a blatant lie. Due to exhaustion and fatigue at this point we could hardly understand what was really happening with us through the chain of events owing to bad airline policies along with negligent staff with no moral or ethical values.

5. On reaching the hotel (IBIS) we were checked in and were told that food, water and tea is allowed for Etihad customers without access to gym and swimming and pool areas. To our utter dismay we were also told that as per Emirates policy people without a fresh PCR test were not allowed to go into public places in the city and could only go to open spaces. We were, generally saying blocked for two whole days in the hotel area. This point was never explained by any of the Etihad staff we interacted with at the airport otherwise a PCR test could have been managed at the airport facilities.

Another issue we encountered at the hotel facility was we were unable to change Australian dollars to local currency. This again restricted us from using other hotel facilities like restaurants and bars, as drinks were not free for Etihad customers. Both father and son spent almost two days like a prisoner at the hotel facility due to lack of appropriate policies of the airline towards this end along with unethical staff with no customer services skills.

6. The next day we were supposed to board our flight for Sydney. After breakfast at 10.30 am, we were told by the hotel staff that we were supposed to check out by 12:30 pm same day. I argued with the staff that our flight is scheduled at 9:55 pm and that we had our boarding cards available and with other facilities restricted to us in the city where were we supposed to spend 9 hours before flight time. The staff explained that we had the boarding vouchers valid only for 1 day and I could understand their point of view. Again, should I be blaming the Etihad policies or staff negligence in working out these details. Last but not the least, when we inquired about the taxi facility for the return journey worked out between the hotel and Etihad, we were told that as such there was no arrangements between the two organisations. They tried to connect us by phone to responsible Etihad staff, but due to automated airline phone systems, we could not connect with any Etihad staff. It turned out that what was advised to us by the voucher issuing staff was a blatant lie.

7. How ever we paid for our return fare to the airport, where we spent something like 7-8 hours on the flight terminal/ duty free area and the passenger lounge. We were physically exhausted and fatigued before a gruesome long journey of another 14 hours to Sydney. We thought that the worst was over.

8. On top of all the miseries faced by us at the time of boarding I was allocated seat no 20G and my son 20K which was a window seat of his liking. At the boarding check in counter within the passenger lounge the ground hostess told my son that his seat has to be changed from the window seat to the one next to me i.e. seat No 20F. I interfered in this argument to know the reason for this change and without assigning the reason she tore down his original boarding card and issued a new one with a very negative attitude asking us rudely to move on. On my way to the jet bridge, I told the dealing hostesses that I am fed up with Etihad services and would report this incident to the management which was handled in an insulting manner. With a mocking smile she responded that we could do anything we want and asked us not to hold the queue and move on.

Based on the ordeal narrated above, I will provide an opportunity to the concerned management officials to critically evaluate the whole episode lasting over more than 48 hours in which several operational departments of Etihad Airways miserably failed to provide credible services, staff engaged in cheating and deceiving customers while putting the integrity and good name of the organisation in jeopardy.

Let me tell you seriously that we might not be the only one who have gone through this miserable experience alone. There could be hundreds or maybe thousands of other customers who had to pass through this nightmare at some level every day.

The systems, procedures, protocols and the human factors involved in operational areas which adversely affects customer services need to be seriously and critically examined by the decision-making authorities to protect the image and business of the organisation from being tarnished.

We understand organisations have suffered in terms of profits in COVID era. However, the need is to deliver and enforce policies that are customer friendly. Short term quick profits fixes would badly impact the organisational image and would not sustain in the long term.

Lastly, I had flown Etihad on several occasions, have good memories of the highest customer services received but the bitter experience and the insulting treatment I have received on this occasion is over and beyond anybody’s comprehension. With this bitter experience, I would on my part never recommend Etihad Airways to my friends, relatives and the larger community I represent.

At the end of this letter, I am seriously worried about my wife and younger child, who would be flying back home to Sydney on 22/10/2022 following the same route with Etihad. I am overtly disturbed about them facing the same or similar treatment, broken support services and harsh experience as meted by us.

Kind regards,

Wamiq R. Khan

Cellular: 0061 [protected]

Email: [protected]@hotmail.com

my name is wagdi gamal nashed i am a golden member in al ethiad airways i called etihad number at 8 of october a lady called marina for booking 2 tickets from abudhabiii international airport to cairo to pay for economy and up grate it to buisness using the miles they did not help in finding place in the buisness class and she said she will send an emergency email and they will reply me within 2 hours they will all me back to give me the conformation but i kept waiting for 11 hours no one called me so i called them back and spoke to two people and they were not able to help me both a female lady and a man called mahomoud and i wasnt able to find place for 17 and 18 and 19 and 20 at all and this was really this appointing to me and i not feeling satisfied at all and i do not trust this i want the head of depertnment to call me as soon as posible

WAGDI NASHED

[protected]

I received travel bank credit from Etihad during the pandemic while living in Australia. This credit is valid for 2 years only. However, for the majority of time that we had the credit, it was illegal to use as the Australian government shut the borders and no commercial flights entered or exited Australia.

I have now asked for an extension to this credit which has been refused. I was informed that I could book a flight for a period of up to 12 months after the credit expired. We are going on our honeymoon in December 2023 so decided that sticking to Etihads rigid policy we would book a fully flexible flight for next year and then look to change the dates to December 2023 when flights were available. However, Etihad have stated that this is also not permissible and that if we change the date of flights that goes beyond a year of the expiry of the travel credit, we will have no option to change the date and we will lose the entire payment on the flight.

We have 2,700 EUR worth of credit which Etihad are not letting us use how we wish. Grossly unfair terms and conditions and no flexibility been given at all considering the initial circumstances surrounding the credit.