Etihad Airways Passenger Reviews and Etihad Airways Customer Trip Reports

MAN-ABU-BKK on special promo fare. As a frequent flyer with Etihad, I can see standards onboard continue to decline, especially with food on a lot of the legs. The onboard entertainment was minimally updated from month to month, but plenty to keep me occupied on all legs. The cabin was uncomfortably warm on both legs from BKK-MAN - something I noticed last trip as well, but doesn't happen on outbound legs. They do need to address customer service from their call centres - a recent query about lounge access issues at Abu Dhabi resulted in a cut and paste response from the t&c's on their website, not answering my question at all. currently still awaiting a further response regarding this. Just able to recommend still.

Me and my wife travelled from JFK-AUH-COK and back in economy class. No water/no juice for more than two hours after boarding. Once it is provided, it took more than an hour to pick up the empty trays. No food available as per choice. Will not opt this airline again.

BKK to AUH Boeing 777. Hit turbulence about an hour out of Bangkok. Full marks to the flight attendants as the food service was initially cancelled but then delivered by hand under very difficult circumstances.

LHR-AUH-TRV return economy. On A340 to AUH, seats were a bit uncomfortable but IFE excellent with the best headsets I've ever experienced on an airline. Got first choice of food, however the rest of our party at the rear of the aircraft got their food an hour after us with first choice not available. On A320 TRV leg, comfortable seat with same choice of IFE on long haul aircraft with touch screen which was good. FAs efficient if a little unfriendly and the toilets had a rather vile aroma on all aircraft. Would recommend.

Night flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi. Older plane, could not get over thin padding on seats, and lack of comfort. There was a gap between plane wall and seating so you could not rest your head. My seat was not able to recline at all. I chose the vegetarian option for food, very disappointing - no flavour. The gentleman sitting next to me was also disappointed with his meal. We were then prisoners in our seats for over 2 hours as our trays were not removed! The next leg from Abu Dhabi to London was very good - much more comfortable and a newer plane, food again not good.

Flew Sydney to Munich return via Abu Dabi in economy. I had high expectations but was quite disappointed! On every flight the meal I wanted off the menu was not available anymore. Meal service was incredibly slow with only one FA serving in each aisle, took her over 1 hour to get down the aisle. Same for clearing the trays after the meal. The aircraft's seem pretty dated too, with headrests, trays and remote controls for entertainment systems not working at times. Staff were alright but didn't seem to enjoy their work and I was made to feel I was putting them out when I requested some milk for my 2 year old daughter. Next time I will fly Emirates or Qantas again, much better service.

I travelled Sydney-Abu Dhabi-London return. The service from airport staff, through to onboard staff, was arrogant, patronising and lacking in customer service. When I asked if I could have a second alcoholic beverage I was told that I had all ready had two (I had only actually had one)! When I asked to speak to the purser, he talked over me and argued with me. I have never experienced any airline who watchdogs alcohol consumption so exactly, and told them that perhaps they should not serve it at all, if they feel the need to judge their paying customers to such a patronising degree. Then, at least we could choose another airline that suits our needs better.

I have travelled on Etihad Airways twice now and never again! The seats are very cramped and made even worse by the footrest. I was in an aisle seat and was constantly knocked by the trolleys. The food is inedible and on one occasion had the choice of ice cream or noodles in a pot of hot water. The toilets were filthy. The staff were pleasant but very slow. The food trays were not collected for at least an hour after the meal so they were left all over the floor. The lady next to me had to ask a number of times for baby food and when I asked for a drink of water was told to wait as dinner would be served shortly.

Bangkok to London via Abu Dhabi. The airline was recommended to me as a cheap alternative, but now I realise why! Planes are okay for age, but seats from Bangkok were crammed in so tight it was torture. Staff onboard the flights were not interested in serving - lots of talking, lots of being rude to some fellow travellers. On my trip, it really was total hype and nothing else, and truly disappointed. Have used Emirates and Qatar Airways in last 12 months, and they are miles ahead of Etihad.

Heathrow to Bangkok via Abu Dhabi return in Economy. We found the FA's very pleasant. One even found us (2 pax) a row of 4 that was empty. Seating was ok, just as you would expect in economy. Amenity kit's handed out on first leg as it was an evening departure. Food was fine, they only ran out of the chicken option on the last leg, FA's were very apologetic. IFE was fine, some good recent films. Overall a good trip, would use again.

Flew from Sydney to Abu Dhabi. It was terrible. The food was inedible. There was wire coming out of the seat in front that kept sticking into my feet. Staff were nice. The toilets were terrible. Inflight entertainment was good but the man sitting next to me had a broken one so had no entertainment the whole 14 hour flight.

Long haul flight KUL-AUH-DUB. Flight from KUL delayed more than 2 hours. Once we reached Abu Dhabi, we had to run to the other end of the next terminal to catch the flight! Flight to Abu Dhabi - a call to the cabin crew for water was ignored. LHR-AUH-KULl. Flight was delayed but this time due to medics having to attend to a child, so can't be blamed. However, during the flight from AUH-KUL, a FA actually asked a passenger to close the overhead storage compartment instead of doing it herself! The same FA was not very generous with smiles. Food was ok, not great. Husband says entertainment was good.

Its customer service gets worse. You cannot contact anyone to pre-book a Sky Cot. We requested one 5 months before the flight. We were then allocated seats in differing rows, my husband in one row and myself and our baby on my lap and a 3 year old to look after. Ground nor cabin staff cared. Cabin staff simply ignored the situation. In short if you want a sky cot guaranteed, do not fly Etihad.

FRA-AUH-CTU. Certain legs of the flight were quite empty. Food selections are good but quality of the meal is ok. Cabin crews on certain leg of the flight are very friendly and helpful. Check in at Chengdu airport is terrible. Transit time is short which is good but when your previous flight was delayed , you have too little transit time. The Baggage arrived at the destination on both flights. Excellent inflight entertainment.

I was flying alone with my 9 year old boy and we felt like an imposition the whole way from Brisbane to Frankfurt. A delayed flight caused an almost missed flight in Dubai. We could have made the flight but apparently our luggage wouldn't have made it. All this not a problem, except our new seats were not together, who seats a child away from their parent? I had to change them, and they put us right in front of the toilets, meaning we could not put our seats back and were jammed in like sardines, makes me wonder how taller people survive these seats! On arrival in Frankfurt, our luggage hadn't made it onto the plane and we had to wait several days for it to arrive. I will never fly Etihad again.

Onboard service was excellent. Food not the best, have definitely had better. Ground staff were efficient and pleasant. Office staff or if you have any problems were the worst I have ever come across and I have been flying long haul/international for over 45 years. Will not fly them again.

AUH-JFK in First on A340. First Class Lounge in Abu Dhabi was fantastic and I took advantage of the free spa treatment. Boarding a bit chaotic, but think that more has to do with flying into the US. Onboard, greeted and shown to my suite. EY has an onboard chef and anytime dining with a grille restaurant menu as well as a set Taste of Arabia offering. The food was excellent, however I was not very impressed with the service. Cabin crew seems to be much more reactive vs being actively in the cabin. The suite is extremely private with sliding doors and has great entertainment for a long flight. Would have rated them much higher, but was not a fan of the service.

DEL-AUH on A320. While the seat and aircraft was very nice, the service was almost non-existent. Understand that it is a very early morning departure, but there was a meal service that my travel companion and I opted to do. FA didn't bring half the menu items and didn't come around once after clearing up the tray. Was not very impressed at all.

London-Abu Dhabi-Sydney in Economy class. Okay, the planes are quite new, but conditions onboard were awful - seats very cramped compared to my last trip on Thai Airways and before that to Melbourne with Qatar, and food was cooled down for each of the supposed hot meals we were served. Toilets filthy the 3 times I used them, and group of staff were stood chatting in the galley. A big disappointment, and truly regret not reading more of these reviews about the true conditions on their flights.

MXP-BKK return. AUH-BKK return on a Boeing 777-300, 3-4-3 seat layout. Seat comfort non-existent, seats hard, narrow, with no leg space. Due to my size I had an aisle seat and I was bumped by flight attendants all the time. Leg from AUH-MXP was my worst nightmare. Two hours delay on an old, tired A330, with the same seat comfort of the previous leg. Cabin hot, entertainment onboard never worked properly. Toilets dirty and very poor food quality.

SYD-AUH-BRU, CDG-AUH-SYD. Quite a comfortable flight. Inflight entertainment was good - a wide selection of both Arabic and Western entertainment. Cabin staff were very friendly. The food was good, for airline food. Very good value for money. Only thing I would have changed would be the amount of legroom - I am a tall person and it was a bit cramped.

LHR-AUH-SYD, MEL-AUH-LHR in First. Seats 2A and 3K. Suite not as luxurious as EK - rather more European and functional. Side storage close to the window very fragile and collapsed on 3 of 4 sectors. Seat and bed comfortable. IFE had excellent choices. Controls for IFE, seat and lights at very strange angle. Menu pretty limited. Onboard chef very good feature. Cabin crew very effective and appear genuinely friendly. LHR-AUH Lounge at LHR ok. Flight on time (0900 dep) but surprisingly no breakfast options on the menu. Impressive on-board chef, who provided excellent advice throughout. AUH-SYD First class lounge classy and quiet. Onboard slept 7 hours, but EY has very annoying habit of broadcasting a pre-recorded announcement every time the seat belt sign is switched on. On time arrival, bags prompt. MEL-AUH Lounge at MEL shared with Air NZ. Very poor. Extremely limited food, few seats. Onboard service slow - 2200 departure yet main course of dinner not cleared till 0100 - in a first class cabin! Food cold by time it was served. Service at breakfast very slow and several elements simply forgotten. AUH-LHR. Good service and time passed quickly. Annoyance on arrival that premium bags are taken off the carousel by airport staff - but no announcement was made to that effect, priority tag had come off one of my bags, so ended up waiting a long time for 1 bag. A frustrating end to a generally good experience.

MEL-AUH-LHR return. Deliberately chose Etihad because of frequent flyer with Virgin and A340 having pairs of seats on each side so nobody climbing over you. Pleasantly surprised by level of legroom, while not overly comfortable it was really not too bad. Entertainment system was good. Food generally good with only one bad snack. Etihad offer a "Cafe Service" between meals which was hit and miss. Nice to get 3 choices for main and a choice of dessert. Overall service was efficient, but not friendly. For some reason they keep the plane very hot.

LHR-AUH-BKK return. Flights punctual and full. Seats were lie flat and generally comfortable, although narrowed considerably at the foot. Older seats on A340-600 were inferior with nowhere to put anything. Full amenity kits would be nicer than the trays offered. Inflight meals were excellent and the dine any time options worked well. Whilst the quantity and number of courses on offer did not compare with Emirates, quality was superior. Cabin crew were variable, but efficient and courteous. Lounge and staff at LHR were superb, Etihad ought to send their Abu Dhabi staff there for training. AUH lounge is far too small for current client numbers during busy periods. However, setting the lounge problems aside, we got a great deal on the flights which were in themselves good. Would use again as long as the prices are competitive.

Travelled JFK-AUH-BOM return. Seats were a bit cramped on A345-500 from JFK-AUH for a 13 hour flight. Staff service was very good on all flights. Inflight entertainment was very good on both flights as well as the return. Good value for the low fare I paid.

ISB-AUH. A320-200. Service standards are going down day by day. During check-in at the airport the agent told me I was not allowed to carry extra checked baggage apart from 23 kg allowance. I told him I was allowed to carry 5 kg excess checked baggage apart due to Etihad Guest base membership. Boarding was done through buses, we had to wait 15 minutes in front of aircraft because the crew were not ready. Aircraft was narrow-bodied and seats uncomfortable. IFE screens on each seat. Menu cards already placed in seats. Received poor quality headphones for IFE system. No round of pre-departure drinks. Food served 1 hour into the flight. Three options available for the breakfast. Extremely poor quality food service. Arrival was timely but docked at awful AUH terminal 1, immigration was a hassle and took almost 30 minutes. Baggage arrived on time.

I flew LHR-AUH-MCT. For LHR-AUH, I sat in 36D, plenty of legroom since there's no seats in front. Meals were good, although the portion is quite small. Male FAs were very attentive while female FAs were not. AUH-MCT flight was decent, given a hot sandwich, yoghurt and juice. Plentiful for a 1 hour journey. All in all, a satisfying flight but still plenty of room for improvements.

Excellent cabin crew, very polite and helpful. The food was ok. I flew an A340, A330 and A320. Cabin crew are a bit hard to understand They had very good entertainment, however are very poor with the allowance of luggage - they will not accept anything over 23kg.

Manchester to Brisbane. Lots of room on outbound to Abu Dhabi, and after meal had 4 middle seats for 5 hour sleep, even though my wife and I had exit row seats all the way to Brisbane. Food was good, and plenty of entertainment. 1st and 3rd crew were brilliant, crew from Abu Dhabi to Singapore, were not as helpful. On return flights managed to get exit row seats, last leg was quieter, so again had 4 middle seats for flight back to Manchester. The only problem with exit row seats is that sometimes, with serving food front and rear to centre, they had run out of our food choice when they got to us.

MAN-AUH-DAC. Used online check-in and did not have to queue at baggage drop at MAN. Plane about 2/3 full, so had 2 seats to myself. Good choice of inflight movies, but flight map was not working. Cabin crew very friendly and efficient. Drinks service followed by meal service, coffee service and 3 water runs before a hot snack service prior to arrival at AUH. Smooth transfer. Flight to DAC delayed 30 minutes. Again, good cabin crew who came through twice with water after the meal service. Arrived at DAC on time, obtained visa on arrival and had my checked baggage in hand within 25 minutes of getting off the plane.

SYD-DUB via AUH. Seats on 777 to AUH extremely cramped. They've added an extra seat where it should only be 3-3-3 like Singapore Airlines 777. Meal trays left for more than an hour. Asked for a water and was met with a sigh from one of the crew. I'll pay extra next time and go with another airline.

BKK-AUH-LHR on Easter Sunday. Boarding disorganised, but on time night flight was comfortable and I got some sleep instead of eating. Crew helpful. Very busy at Abu Dhabi for transit. New A330 for London leg, again on time, boarding well organised, and flight crew in Business class were excellent for service and friendliness. I'm over 6ft, but slept very well in a flat bed window seat. Grazed on snack food, instead of mains. New increased luggage limits very welcome!

My husband and I flew JHB-Paris-Milan-Abu Dhabi-JHB with our 2 grandchildren. Had excellent services, enough leg room on all flights. Onboard entertainment excellent. Food good. Airport staff at Abu Dhabi fantastic (gave us dinner and breakfast vouchers while in transit and extremely friendly and helpful. Also found flight staff extremely competent and friendly. Added to this was the fact that this was the lowest fare.

LHR-AUH-SYD with my 8 year old grandson. Check-in very quick, staff were very pleasant on boarding. Flight was excellent to AUH, food good, seating ok, Abu Dhabi airport very disorganised when large volumes of passengers arrive. Flight to Sydney on B777 - very cramped, luckily we were last but one seat at rear of aircraft and I had an aisle seat so could stretch my legs. Return trip also very good, had an A346 on both legs, more room on these aircraft, again food and service by cabin crew were very good, you get what you pay for and I would fly Etihad again.

AUH-DUS return in Y class. Was told on check-in at Abu Dhabi that the flight will be operated by one of their "partner Airlines" which happened to be Air Berlin. A German budget carrier now partly owned by Etihad. We booked and paid for Etihad but got budget in return. Very disappointed. Passengers were also not informed about the later departure time.

Business class Manchester to Abu Dhabi. Cabin crew very pleasant, seating shabby and cramped compared to other airlines. Coffee and cakes fine for breakfast 08.00hrs, menu states food from the kitchen anytime. When I requested a meal for my lunch, was told there was no food left, just a bowl of nuts.

Flew SYD-DUB via AUH. First sector was great. Staff excellent, food and seating couldn't praise enough. Second sector was like flying a different airline. Cramped seating, request to move was completely ignored by cabin crew along with poor service.

Luggage allowance is great and seats offered plenty of room. Staff were attentive, coming round frequently offering water. Inflight entertainment system was excellent. Food was average but was given to us with metal knives and forks. We were in coral economy class so expected it to be a lot worse than it was.

My wife and I along with our fifteen month old daughter travelled from Toronto to Bangalore. The flight crew took 1 hour to warm a bottle of milk for my daughter, they appeared disorganized and chaotic. On our return to Toronto, the brief stop over at Abu Dhabi was awful. When the boarding call for parents with infants and children were made, the ground staff had absolutely no control over passengers. Passengers simply flooded to the line in an attempt to board the aircraft first. We were the last to board and when we complained to airline staff they responded with a cynical laughter.

FRA-AUH-MLE. The Seat is narrow, and short. Whole cabin is cramped and crowed, no space for personal items. Screen is too far away, if you lie down you can't really see anything. All movies are heavily edited. Service is mediocre at best. Short haul Business-Seat is a joke - no recline at all. Food is good. Lounge in FRA and AUH (both terminals) very disappointing.

SYD-AUH-KTM with my wife and 4 small children. All seated in one row, planes were new and staff professional. Inflight entertainment was excellent and food very acceptable. Seats were acceptable on a 14.5 hour flight. Only complaint is that it took a fair amount of time to collect our trays.

MEL-AUH-MAN. I found the seats cramped and spent the flight with my knees wedged in. The TV monitor was about 6 inches from my face once the seat in front reclined. On flight to Abu Dhabi we were given 2 drinks, both with meals, no other refreshments. AUH-MAN we had one meal and one drink. Trays were left on tables for an hour after they were finished. Outbound we were 3.5kg over in total, but not an eyelid was bat by any of the staff. On the return I was made to pay for it, on top of the $2100 per person we had paid we had to pay an additional $160 to get our luggage back. Again on the return we had a total of 3 drinks in 22 hours.

BUD-FRA-AUH-SYD. First leg BUD-FRA operated by "deceased" Malev. They were not able to print our boarding passes until Sydney, so in Frankfurt we had to go through check-in again. Etihad's ground staff were helpful. FRA-AUH-SYD was great. With my spouse, we booked the middle seats 9E, 9F. Privacy of these middle seats was nice. Cabin crew was helpful, seat comfort very good, sleep comfort was good, fully flat bed was a bit short for me. Aisle and window seats offer more space for sleeping. IFE was good and food was tasty. Free of charge chauffeur service between Sydney airport and our hotel was excellent.

MXP-AUH-BKK return. Tight leg space and very unfriendly hostesses, you get the idea that the faster they finish service the better it is for them so they can relax. Catering was horrible. During a 6 hours flight they only passed through one time with half filled glasses of soft drinks. I booked these flights because they were cheap, they have a great online service and a good service at the airports. The main problem is the service onboard.

Dublin-Abu Dhabi-Seychelles return economy. Outbound flight on A330 from Dublin was on time, crew were attentive, the food and drink fine and the entertainment system had plenty of material. The seat pitch was a little cramped. Onward to Seychelles on A320. It had the same inflight entertainment and was all you want for a 4 hour flight. On the return, everything was as expected and we arrived back in Dublin on time.

DUS-AUH return. DUS-AUH as usual, cramped seats with substandard service. Etihad decided to downgrade us to Air Berlin on the return leg. No information was given prior to departure. So be careful when you fly in and out of DUS on Etihad; they will just dump you on a budget carrier without prior information.

AMM-AUH-MNL return. In AMM was upgraded to business class. After 10 minutes onboard, was downgraded back to economy and told it was an error. Food OK. AUH-MNL-AUH on B777-300 in 3-4-3. Seats are too close each to other, I am 175 cm and had no room. Good thing: power socket in every seat.

Flew economy from AUH-KUL-AUH. Service was good, flight on time, entertainment choice was excellent. The only pitfall was the seat pitch was poor compared to other airlines. Overall, paid a great price for economy and could not ask for more.

DUB-AUH-SYD in economy class. DUB-AUH in A330 was great. Seats were comfortable and food was good. However, flight from SUH-SYD was on the 777-300 and the 3-4-3 configuration was very cramped, both in width of seats and leg-room. The food was terrible. The same came be said for both sectors on the return legs. Very punctual, on time for all flights. The cheapest available option, so in that respect they were good value.

SYD-AUH-LHR in Diamond First Class. Both flights on A340-600 aircraft. Check-in was efficient, and Air NZ lounge in SYD was perfectly fine, with plenty of space to relax. Onboard, the suite is absolutely huge, and the most comfortable bed I've slept on in the air. Service was perfect, with very friendly and professional staff. The real highlight was the food. The lounge in AUH was excellent, with great shower facilities and a full-service restaurant serving excellent food.

MEL-AUH-MSQ, FRA-AUH-SYD. Flew outbound in First class to Abu Dhabi. The rest of the journey in Business class. Overall would agree with previous comments that seats are narrow in Business, however their new Business class is an improvement over the old Business class cabin. Entertainment is top notch and service in Melbourne and Frankfurt was nothing short of great. Price is competitive and no compromise on service. Would definitely recommend. Shame that there is no morning arrival into Melbourne.

 
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