Etihad Airways

Kuala Lumpur to London via Abu Dhabi. This is the first time flying with Etihad and I relied on their advertising, showing how many awards won, airline of the year etc. On that basis I assumed they would be on a par with other Middle East Airlines (Qatar, Emirates) who I have flown and found very acceptable, especially Qatar. I can honestly say this is the worst overall experience I have had. From this 1 flight I have written to their customer service to report 3 very different incidents, I have not received 1 response! (except automated reply stating I would receive a follow up from representative, we value you as a customer blah blah). The one simple issue to illustrate how poor they are is they have not credited my air miles (including an offer of 5000 miles to compensate a cancelled flight!) for these flights, I have written to them 3 times and received no response - this appears to be their normal procedure judging from other reviews. Obviously not receiving air miles would not constitute a bad experience on its own, but this was just to illustrate just how little they care. The crew are dysfunctional, they do not operate at all as a team. Their service is sloppy and carefree and not at all professional. The food is dreadful, tiny portions and uninspiring, I get much better food and choice on my local budget airline, Air Asia. I am not tall by any stretch of the imagination and the seat squab only came half way up my thigh on A380, the other aircraft (not sure - A340?) was at least normal in this respect. They boast about the suites on the A380 and I guess this is solely to satisfy their mega rich local customers - when it comes to economy they really don't care. Ground service and the way a cancelled flight was dealt with wasn't any better, updates were not the truth, it seemed staff were disorganised even though there were a lot of them, vouchers and information about breakfasts seemed to be handed out on a 1 by 1 basis and not told to everyone.

London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi. The A380 was great, but that was all that was impressive about this flight. The plane being new and cutting edge, sold itself. The service was at best, mediocre and the cabin crew showed their lack of experience in confusion and getting mixed up. With a ‘light’ flight, there seemed more a gossip and snacking culture rather than a commitment to looking after their ‘guests’. I had pre-ordered AVML, but was told I should have the veg pasta on the menu, which I did. Then they discovered that the AVML was in the oven, so I agreed to try it out. The AVML was awful! It was as bad as a hospital meal, bland, tasteless, half cooked and not at all AVML. More like kosher or post recuperation food served by nursing staff. The crew apologised for not having AUH landing cards on board – another example of Etihad Airways lack of organisation. Had it been a full flight, I am sure utter mix ups and confusion would have prevailed. The cabin crew did the minimum work and apart from the ambience of the new A380, this one really felt like a budget airline flight. Abu Dhabi to Delhi was a one-off experience! Long queues prevailed at the gate as staff was not able to handle the various combinations of passports, visas and baggage. The process was extremely slow with officials running around, and when we were bundled off the buses onto the aircraft, a compact A320, the cabin crew were not able to handle the seating of passengers, who were allowed to freely roam, change seats, bunch together, shout across the aisles at each other – in chaos. The cleanliness of the aircraft also left something to be desired as one could clearly see grease on windows and unprepared seat pockets (litter in torn literature, left over chewing gum etc.). My seat cushion kept on slipping away forwards, coming off the seat frame. Its Velcro had seen better days. The cover on the seat cushion also came off – a thoroughly uncomfortable situation throughout the flight. Once airborne, Etihad chose to serve dinner. The choice is clearly yours, but at 3:30am (AUH) (4:30am DEL), would it not have been better to have served a substantial snack or a light breakfast rather than dinner, serving which was an ordeal for all in cramped cabin space on this plane. My meal was once again comic. The Serbian hostess told me that they had run out of the veg option, so she ‘could offer me lamb or chicken’. She obviously had no idea! What was the point proudly distributing the menu? I was served flat Coca Cola out of the last remains of a bottle of Coke and she insisted it was ‘fresh’ and not ‘flat’ as it sure was. When I said that I had pre-ordered AVML, she said that might be in the front galley. When the trolley service finished ten minutes later, I was half way through rice salad, bread and Coke, the ‘special’ meal arrived. It was OVML and had clearly been opened previously – I thought it may have even been from another discarded tray! The most uninviting chow mein in it was clearly not my request. Putting Serbian and Swahili speaking staff on a AUH-DEL flight where passengers are likely to be 90% Indian, puts unnecessary stress on the crew despite their brave ‘plastic smiles’, and doesn’t help anyone on the flight.

Jeddah to Bangkok via Abu Dhabi with Etihad Airways. Undoubtedly the worst ever check-in I have experienced anywhere in the world. Due to some technical issue relating to the check-in computers which was not conveyed to the passengers, it took 4.5 hours to check everyone in; the check-in procedure required pushing, shoving, shouting and general aggravation as no barriers were erected to facilitate fair queueing. I have never in my life watch passengers carrying their baggage over their head, barge to the front of the queue, shout, get angry and then achieve their desire in such an outrageous way. To see the Etihad staff shout and abuse some passengers was also totally unacceptable; quite clearly they could not cope. I was virtually the last person on the plane which was delayed for 2.5 hours and as such missed my onward connection in Abu Dhabi resulting in a 9 hour stay at the Airport Premier Inn and missing my first night in my Bangkok Hotel for which I paid around USD100 which has still not been reimbursed. The customer service has been dreadful since my emails and forms to the Etihad system were ignored. Eventually I received 20,000 air miles after writing to the boss and an apology. 20,000 airmiles are not the same as flying 20,000 miles in the air mind you. I have made some enquiries and believe I will receive a small discount if I fly this route with them again; I also receive junk mail from Etihad Airways now as well which I don't like. The flights themselves were okay but the seats are too narrow and the leg room is poor. IFE is okay but not as good as other middle-eastern carriers - too many US English films.

Bangkok to Abu Dhabi with Etihad Airways. No problems with the service on the flight. Good entertainment system, food was okay. Seat pitch was reasonable for someone with long legs. Returning from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow the A380 is a fantastic plane. Comfortable seats and large screen. Service was good, and the food was okay.

Originally booked on EY2 connecting to EY 402 on 6th of November. Left Frankfurt late and due to a short connection I was informed by the crew that they rebooked me on EY 406. Friendly crew on EY2 and the dinner I chose was one of the best economy dishes I ever had. Seat was ok for me (21H) - as comfortable or unconfortable as other economy seats. Upon arrival in Abu Dhabi I was met by EY staff at the gate and given my new ticket to EY 406 incl an upgrade to business class. Time loss was about 2 hours which did not bother me to much because I would have not been able to check in my hotel room anyways. Original arrival 6:35 am arrived 9:05 am. Crew and food were good on this flight. Arrival in Bangkok - well my luggage was lost. That made me a little angry. First they knew on the first leg that I would not make my connection - they have the luggage tag numbers and did not manage to get the luggage to 406 in time although there was about 2 hours of transfer time. I think that was poor service. It was after midnight when my suitcase showed finally up in Pattaya.

A very poor experience overall. There was chaos in Abu Dhabi. Since US immigration is cleared in AUH, I was told to go to the gate 2 hrs prior and assured that the lounge next to gate is comparable to the main Etihad Airways lounge. This was a lie. The lounge near the gate (you can't exit and return to the big lounge) is pathetic. Hardly enough seating, no smoking area, no alcoholic drinks and not enough snacks. The onboard service was bad to say the least. No night suit was given. When I asked for it, they give it after two reminders, and one crew told me they were under instructions not to give it out unless pressed for. Drinks were never refilled without asking and then done grudgingly. An old aircraft that was falling apart - eg. no holder for soap so the entire flight the soap was dripping on the counter. There was no water in one bathroom and instead of shutting it down, the crew handed me a bottle of water for use in there! Food was poor (special meal Asian Veg) and looked similar to budget airline paid meal.

Perth to New York via Abu Dhabi, and in my experience the service was attentive. The food, while not fabulous, was adequate and snacks (crackers, nuts and apple slices) were offered on several occasions, as well as water. The seats seemed okay, pretty average for economy, and the entertainment system was first class. All flights were on time. This was my experience on 2 occasions in October 2015. It appeared pretty routine for this airline's procedures.

I recently flew with Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok return and they exceeded my expectation. Boeing 777 very clean and tidy, toilets clean through the flight and restocked. From boarding until the disimbarkation staff were in the cabin, very kind and helpful. Great service and excellent food and beverage choice. Inflight entertainment system was fantastic. I would strongly recommend to fly with them.

Brisbane to Athens via Abu Dhabi with Etihad Airways was the worst journey of my life. My daughter, a size 12, managed to squeeze into the seat. I'm an 18 and so not comfortable. Food and service poor. Half a cup of tea/wine, then staff went, never to return. The same meal on both flights. On the return trip, we paid extra to sit in exit seats. Not happy to find most of them empty, and the man sat next to me, had just moved himself up from a seat at the back! The one upside, was the man at Athens Airport, who arranged my upgrade, was wonderful, and the lady he sent me to see to pay for my upgrade was also brilliant. I have done a lot of long haul flights, and I can honestly say the plane and the service were the worst I have had.

Horrible experience checking in, and staff was extremely rude. I had only one bag for check-in (18kg) and carry-on was 8kg, and I was asked to check the carry-on as well. I was told that it was too big, even though the bag was approved size. Was told they don't give two hoots to approved size. I asked it to be measured, but was refused and when I put it in the bag sizer the dimensions were fine. Instead of apologizing, the service rep started talking in a very unfriendly manner. On the way out I asked to have a word with the supervisor, who refused to talk saying he is too busy.