Etihad Airways

Flew Manchester to Sydney 18/12/2013. Flight OK apart from 1 hour delay in Abu Dhabi sitting on runway. The return flight on 04/01/2014 was nothing short of a nightmare checked in at Sydney with Etihad partner Virgin Australia. Flight to Abu Dhabi was superb service etc very good. Our cases booked right through to Manchester but told to pick our connecting boarding card up in Abu Dhabi. On arrival the problem started we were told our flights did not show on their system and we were basically cut adrift by Etihad in the middle of the night. Told to pick up our cases from a deserted luggage hall at 3am then had to find the Etihad booking desk managed to book tickets for myself and my wife. The help and assistance we had from Etihad was zero.

DOH-AUH-JNB return. Flight out to JNB was fantastic first leg on an Airbus A320 from Doha to Abu Dhabi a short flight that went smoothly. The were people to meet and assist at Abu Dhabi the connection was very smooth and the onward flight was on a newly refurbished A330 with the newest product in Business Class and the food was superb as was the IFE. Cabin staff were excellent and addressed us by our name I would like Etihad to give a much better amenity kit than the very poor one they give out right now. On the return it was nothing short of a disaster on all levels after arriving at JNB airport and getting our tax work done and checking in our luggage the lady at check in tells us that we will not be flying on Etihad but on Air Seychelles. I would have appreciated it if Etihad would have contacted me before I left my hotel and told me of the situation and given me a choice. The seats on the flight were uncomfortable and very hard though the leg room was good the sleeping position was terrible as it was not straight and the IFE was terrible the screen was very small and the selection was poor I refused to have a meal and just had a glass of Orange juice. I was contacted by Etihad after arrival and they offered me an apology which I accepted I will give Etihad another chance but they could have handled the situation so much better than they did.

AUH-KUL-AUH by Jet Airways aircraft but operated by Etihad Airways. The plane is looking old and most of the seats were torn. IFE selection was good and the food was nice. From check in I would say the crew were very friendly. Overall experience was very good even from KUL take off on time and on time into AUH. The service during entire flight was fantastic with very helpful FA's. I definitely recommend Etihad.

My wife and I flew in Business from LHR to BKK via AUH on EY18 and EY408 on 16th/17th October. Business Saver fare was an absolute bargain. We booked the limo service from Suffolk to LHR and this arrived on time and dropped us outside T4 for an additional charge of just £20 since our home was just outside the 100 mile trip limit. Quick check-in having pre-booked our seats and apart from the pretty useless Fastrack courtesy of Heathrow's disinterested staff we were in the lounge shortly thereafter. As lounges go it was fine - quiet comfortable and good service. Boarded 15 mins before departure with no delay and the gate was conveniently opposite the lounge. Jacket taken and champagne provided. Settled into comfortable seat in the Airbus 340 the excellent cabin staff explained the menu and took orders alongside after take-off drink requests. Flight took off on time and the rest of the inflight service was outstanding. The freshly made steak sandwich as a snack from the kitchen was as good a snack as I have had on any airline. Arrived into AUH on time but we had gated at the old terminal and had to transfer to the new one for our flight to Bangkok. Business lounge was very busy so we went in the First Class lounge and had a shower. Boarded EY408 on time and had a trouble free flight to BKK in a 777 this time but pretty similar set-up. Steak sandwiches just as good. Arrive BKK slightly ahead of schedule and given card to use its Premium lane so was cleared of immigration and collecting bags of carousel in quick time. Return leg was exactly the same with excellent service throughout and punctual arrival into LHR. My only gripe? The complimentary chauffeur. I initially booked one for arrival in BKK to our hotel but never got confirmation and when I tried to it seemed their was some confusion as to eligibility (2 journeys per adult passenger). Since it is hardly an expensive taxi from the airport to downtown Bangkok I cancelled it to make sure that we had the return from LHR to home but given the confusion wanted to make sure this was understood. I had to call Etihad in AUH in the end and it took ages and then started getting calls from the limo company in Bangkok advising what time they would be collecting us! When we arrived back at LHR they had organised a car for me and a car for my wife! We declined and continued our journey together. Seems like the system on these could be improved but it did not detract from the superb service.

My wife and kids (5 yr old and 8 month) travelled from Chicago to Chennai on Dec 9th. As my wife and kids were travelling without me I selected Etihad because of the reputation it had and also the promise of an onboard nanny. 5 hours ahead of the flight departure I went to book a bassinet for my 8 month old just as was told that I cannot book a bassinet seat online and had to do in person. I had to wait 30 mins at the check in desk for the bassinet seat as they told me there was none available. Later they gave a bassinet seat for my wife/infant and 3 rows away a seat for my toddler. Finally all completed in 30 mins and we were let go with bassinet seat and seat beside for my toddler son. My wife and kids boarded without issues. However their cabin baggage was put elsewhere because the flight was full it was total chaos. The flight took off 3 hours late. As the flight left 3 hours late connecting flight from Abu Dhabi to Chennai would be missed if the connecting flight was not delayed. The stroller for the infant was sent to the connecting flight directly. My wife had to carry the infant and walk with the 4 yrs old 2 cabin bags and laptop bag. Why was there no service offered. I would not suggest this flight to family's travelling with toddlers and infants.

My family and I were flying Etihad from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok on 18th Dec 2013. The flight was 3 hours delayed and no service was given like a drink or food voucher and it was not operational problems. As an example we were about 250 passengers having boarded the flight and then a further delay of 1 hour as Etihad wanted to wait for 4 passengers. The captain in his first delay announcement did not even apologise for the delay and the crew did not feel responsible either and did not apologise. I and my family will never fly Etihad again.

BKK-AUH-CAI. Flight from BKK to AUH was on a Boeing 777 and excellent Pearl Business lay flat seats. Flight from AUH to CAI was a very old Airbus 319. Small plane cramped seating old and worn fabric. Recliners didn't really recline and the screen was in the armrest. Limited menu due to 4 hour flight time. Uncomfortable and ridiculous for the amount we paid.

Poor Service BNE-SIN-BNE no recognition of Frequent Flyer status. Outbound leg no immigration cards for SIN but Cabin Manager did not bother to advise. If you can't load a plane or actually have someone meet the aircraft with the immigration cards in 7.5 hours there is something wrong. Will not fly again.

Heathrow to Sydney via Abu Dhabi. Flight was packed with kids - obviously the sales pitch of the Norland trained nanny worked though I didn't see much evidence of them being around there was a lot of screaming/squealing all through the flight. Seat allocation is a nightmare be sure to get on-line as soon as you can and book your seats do not leave it until you get to the airport or you'll end up wedged in the middle of a middle section. I've flown a lot on many different airlines and I found the seats in this one incredibly tight and uncomfortable so much so that I woke up in the middle of the night once I got home because my back was so sore. The food was pretty ordinary in the middle of a 14hr leg to Sydney we got a cold bread roll with three thin slices of tomato on it. I have never been so hungry on a plane! The final service before landing was rushed with the staff basically tossing the food at us from piles in their arms there was only one choice and half the contents of my tray were missing but the staff were so stretched I didn't bother to harass them about it. The 30kg baggage allowance and the large toilets on board are good points but the rest of it was pretty average.

Manchester to Kuala Lumpur via Abu Dhabi on New Year's Eve. On boarding dispute over 2 people sitting in wrong seats woman refused to move stewardess did not know how to handle it eventually after unsuccessfully pleading with her to move she told the couple whose seats they were that she would find them somewhere else to sit but they would be apart naturally they refused! Meanwhile nobody else could get past to get to their seats. Service on board was extremely slow we had the wrong menu card. Even though the Cabin Crew were wearing 'Happy new year' hats when we boarded there was only a passing reference to it being 2014 as we passed over Romania. Abu Dhabi airport experience was an awful chaotic shambles. Multiple flights arrived simultaneously and they clearly could not cope with the thousands of passengers in transit. Nobody knew what they were queuing for or even if they were in the right terminal. Airport staff were taking no notice of those who were trying to tell them they would miss their connection if they stayed in the queue luckily we had a 3 hour wait so we were not worried just bemused at the chaos. Security control was a joke only 6 manned and shouting to us to 'leave everything in your bags'. Not looking forward to going back through on the way home. Food on board was nothing special entertainment not brilliant headphones didn't work. Overall not a good experience would not use Etihad again travelled to KL with Emirates last time and there is no comparison. Must say however that landings were excellent hardly a bump.