ETIHAD AIRWAYS   Passenger Reviews and Customer Trip Reports an official 4-Star Airline   Add your Etihad Airways review   Etihad Airways official 4 Star ranking   Airline Reviews : A-Z Index   2009 Quality Approval Status ?

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ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  18 February 2009 : by C Lee   (Australia)

BNE-SIN return economy class. The B777 offers adequate leg room but can become uncomfortable on the 7 hour flight and the footrest is not that useful as it takes up quality room. FA attentive and polite. Inflight entertainment system was great with a wide variety of movies and music.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  17 February 2009 : by H Jockers   (China)

PEK-AUH-MUC Business Class. Two of the most comfortable flights I have had. Both legs A332, PEK-AUH 2 class and AUH-MUC 3 class config. One of the best business class seats, narrow but full flat and very comfortable. Very up to date IFE with ample choices; yes I agree with previous commentator that the selection is less focussed on US releases. Very good headsets too, seem to be noise canceling (strange plug, did not have an adapter for this kind for my own head phone). Lovely a la carte menu and individualized anytime service. Annoying is the almost constant sound of the attendant call. Crew attentive, motivated but lacking experience. Cockpit crew forthcoming with flight information. Landed at T3 in AUH, then 15 min walk to old T1 to find the old business class lounge overcrowded, no seat, useless. All flights on time. As a resident expat in Shanghai I flew to PEK with CA (less pleasant) just to catch EY, given the current Etihad promo fares.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  16 February 2009 : by John Ellerton   (UK)

LHR-BNE and SYD-LHR. Etihad customer experience leaves a lot to be desired. I flew five sectors with them - stopping in Abu Dhabi and Singapore on the way out, and in Abu Dhabi on the way back. All five sectors had different crew, and there was no consistency in service. Some of the crew were attentive, but many were surly and uncaring. Some of the sectors had good food, some had undercooked poor food. On some sectors I was offered more drinks than I could sensibly consume; on others I got off the flight thirsty. I agree with comments made by other reviewers here that the crews ignore the passenger call bells. What is more concerning is that the seatbelt lamps stayed illuminated during most of the duration of the flights for no reason, and therefore the passengers got accustomed to ignoring them. This meant that during episodes of clear air turbulence, passengers were still walking around the cabin. The in-flight entertainment system was very good - lots of movies and programmes to watch. However a significant proportion of this is Arabic or Asian, and the english-language content is almost exclusively US-centric. Arabic is clearly the first language of the airline - and all the passenger announcements are made first in Arabic. I also noticed that some of the flight crew seemed more comfortable conversing in Arabic, and therefore Arabic speaking passengers got much friendlier service - and were asked to fill out the in-flight customer surveys! All of the above are just minor niggles however when compared to the biggest problem with the airline: Abu Dhabi airport. This is truly awful, and is a place I never want to visit ever again! Terminal 1 is still used for the majority of flights. It is a small terminal building, roughly 30 years old, with the internal acoustics of a railway station. It is about as clean as a railway station as well. There is very little seating capacity, and few shops. Terminal 3 has just opened, but is carrying little traffic at the moment. It appears to be a great improvement on Terminal 1, and both times I ended up going to sit in the corridor linking T1 and T3 as it is the only clean and quiet place easily accessible from T1. So my recommendation would be to avoid Etihad at all costs until the new Terminal 2 at Abu Dhabi is built and opened in a few years time. Otherwise you risk spending a miserable 3 hours in the worst airport terminal I have ever experienced!

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  16 February 2009 : by J Diedrichsen   (UK)

LHR-BKK via Abu Dhabi and return. A330 LHR to Abu Dhabi return - B777 to/from BKK is a little more comfortable. As many others comment, there is a footrest that is of no use and is only in the way hindering more comfortable seating. Efficient check in and boarding, departures on time. On all four legs friendly service. Abu Dhabi airport could do with an update - but at least free WIFI and or internet terminals are something to help you pass the time..

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  12 February 2009 : by D Bocklage   (Hong Kong)

MNL-AUH-FRA, FRA-AUH-MAN Business Class. Best airline food on the Airbus 330 legs (AUH-FRA- AUH). Although I'm tall (200cm) I managed to sleep during most of the time of the flights. Inflight Entertainment System very nice, big screens and a good remote control. I live in Hong Kong but the ticket was so cheap that I couldnt resist to fly Etihad from Manila. Manila is the world's worst airport. Etihad Lounge there (shared with other airlines) is terrible; even Internet (Wifi) costs money. No real food offered, no restrooms. However, new lounge in Abu Dhabi is not bad, nice food and drinks, friendly staff. Short free massage offered, tiny room. London Heathrow (BA Lounge) is better, as they offer you own shower cabins. Only 1 shower for Business class passengers next to the toilets in Abu Dhabi is not enough. Receptionist not very good though. I had to wait 7 hours for the connection flight and wanted to go to the city of Abu DHabi. ("Sorry Sir. You cannot leave the airport!"). When I asked immigration it was no problem at all and I went to Abu Dhabi Marina by taxi.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  8 February 2009 : by D Whiting   (UK)

Economy Class LHR-BKK via AUH. Swift check in at LHR. Pretty full aircraft on both legs and good service by cabin crew. Food was good. Seatback screens were a good size at over 10 inches. AVOD but programme selection could be much improved. Any R rated movies were edited down to a PG. Not all airlines do this as it makes watching the movie pointless. Return legs only half full. Competitive pricing and a good product. Only downside is the stopover in AUH, small and uninspiring terminal but thankfully is now non smoking throughout.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  28 January 2009 : by B Cambey   (Australia)

Diamond Class from Sydney-Abu Dhabi-Paris and then London Heathrow-Abu Dhabi-Sydney and could not complain about the service. Chauffeur service to and from the airport in Sydney, Paris, London. Service during the flight was excellent and great food, and wine and spirits were top shelf. Diamond Class lounge in Abu Dhabi was great and offer different spa treatments (no cost) which aided in making the trip more relaxing.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  25 January 2009 : by J Rees   (Australia)

Non stop flight from Abu Dhabi to Sydney. Discovered that there was no socket available for headphones to plug in due to it being broken in seat armrest. Therefore unable to listen to in flight movies / music etc. The flight attendants ignore the call attendant lights regularly, and as they whisked past my seat just turned off the light above me without enquiring. So I called back the attendant and told her that I had pressed the button for a reason, and explained the problem with the headphone socket. - No other seats available - and not really bothered. No resolution. Only 2 meals for the whole flight. You have to beg for drinks, as they are not offered to you regularly enough. When you are offered a drink - it is only a small amount - sufficient to fill a thimble. On this leg of the journey the crew were not as attentive / caring as the London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi trip. Be prepared to be treated like cattle at Abu Dhabi Airport - regardless of which class seat you are booked on. There was a delay to our flight and we were all herded together into a tiny departure gate, which was hot and no seating available.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  24 January 2009 : by L Meyer   (Germany)

FRA-AUH-MNL Dec 23-25. Being a happy customer and Gold Member with Etihad since long, this was my worst flight ever. FRA-AUH couldn't make it to AUH due to fog in AUH and after 2hrs of holding patterns was deviated to Al Ain. After refuelling we had to wait 1hr for the driver of the push back, only to learn from the pilot - being on the taxiway already for the quick trip back to AUH - that their working hours were exceeded by then. Back to parking, waiting 1 hour for the bus to terminal (100m distance) and another 4hrs for the new crew coming via bus from AUH. Eventually back in AUH, they finally managed to delay a 6hrs flight by 10 hrs - the transfer desk was incapable and overstressed - despite a prep time of 8-10 hours. MNL flight was gone of course, so I spend christmas eve in the Airport hotel. Cheers to the filipino workers in the hotel reception and lounge - the best experience on this trip at all, they went the extra mile with a smile always, even if it was hard for them not being home that Christmas evening as well! Of course, next day flight to MNL was in delay as well, and of course, my baggage was lost. Got it 3 days later, and of course not delivered at my place but to be picked up by myself at the local airport. Bad experience!

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  19 January 2009 : by L Cahill   (Canada)

LHR-AUH in December 2008. Etihad damaged my stroller beyond use, and it took over 3 weeks to have my complaint with them resolved. Had requested my stroller to be gate delivered at AUH, but naturally it was no where to be seen. Return trip, AUH-LHR in January 2009 was possibly one of the worst airline experiences I've ever had. I had paid for a separate seat for my infant son, but was informed that since he was only 1 year old, he was not entitled to a meal, and could have "baby food" only. Finally received baby food, stone cold, over an hour after the meal service had been completed. Flight attendants were haughty and unfriendly - they clearly felt that dealing with anyone in Coral Class was beneath them. Pressed attendant button on 2 separate occasions, but no-one came. Was unable to get hot water for a bottle for my son. Stroller was again not gate delivered at Heathrow despite multiple assurances that it would be. Ground crew at Heathrow completely unhelpful. Etihad is atrocious. This was my first, and will be my last trip with them.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  19 January 2009 : by Gerry Croghan   (Germany)

Overall very satisfactory service. Meals and refreshments plentiful and offered alcoholic drinks. Legroom is restricted on the long haul flights and the footrests excabate the problem. Most of the videos or TV in flight entertainment in Mandarin or Arabic with few English films. Staff were friendly and when spoken to in Arabic responded in English. Have no major grievances with this Airline save for the ticketing in Cochin where staff there were unable to issue a boarding card for the Dublin connection. There was a small queue at Abu Dhabi airport for the boarding card.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  15 January 2009 : by Michael Baldock   (Russia)

Avoid Etihad and Abu Dhabi at all costs. The Etihad Transfer Desk at Abu Dhabi airport is a farce, and waiting time was 2-3 hours - there was only about 4 people in front of me. Service onboard all the 4 flights I had was extremely slow and poor, and the attendant call buttons might as well be removed, as they served no purpose - they were always ignored. In short a very poor airline.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  12 January 2009 : by G Atkinson   (Australia)

BNE via SIN to Abu Dhabi on A330-200, on to MAN. Cabin spacious and airy and a 2-4-2 seating configuration meant you weren't too far from an exit row. The seats did feel a bit narrow and I'm not sure that the foot rests serve any real purpose when it comes to getting comfortable. The food was excellent, refreshments served regularly. The entertainment system gave plenty of choice both of movies, TV episodes, games to play. A couple of times we had to ask the crew to reset them though. On that note, I would mention that the attendants interaction with passengers was extremely limited - no smiles or recognition really - at times they seemed quite aloof which was disappointing. On the way back, we flew the 777-300 and aircraft was fantastic - again the flight attendants a bit robotic if not efficient.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  12 January 2009 : by G Kohll   (Israel)

AMM-BKK via Abu Dhabi. The inflight service was good, although the 777 seats are a little cramped, especially when using the footrest. Good food and IFE. The downside is Abu Dhabi airport. We waited nearly 30 minutes on the plane before we could disembark to buses and the boarding for the flight to BKK was chaotic. The airport cannot support the number of passengers. I will not fly with them again until the new terminal opens.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS review :  7 January 2009 : by Andy Hogan   (UK)

Quality service while in flight. First rate entertainment system, food and drink was plentiful. The flat bed was very comfortable and disturbance to a good sleep was only interrupted when I received a morning cup of coffee. Only disappointment was the Business lounge in Abu Dhabi. The place was packed so no where to sit.