Etihad Airways

Purchased a return trip flying first class from Melbourne to London in Sept/Oct 2013. Flight to London was excellent - could not fault. However when arriving at airport for return flight - return ticket no longer worked? Etihad claimed it was American Airlines fault and they needed to sort it and therefore they did nothing to assist me. AA are their sister airlines but are at another terminal at Heathrow - Etihad would not assistance in sorting out problem - obviously could not be bothered. Now flying with Singapore but have to wait another 10 hours. Thank you for your lack of assistance Etihad - other airlines are far more helpful.

Flew BNE-AUH-DUB return BC in September and found the service on board excellent both ways. The food was terrific and the only point in the whole journey that let the airline down was the inflight entertainment. It was rubbish for such a long haul flight movies were very old TV shows were showing reruns.

EY22 Manchester to Abu Dhabi EY622 Abu Dhabi to Mahe EY621 Mahe to Abu Dhabi EY15 Abu Dhabi to Manchester. We decided to try Etihad rather than fly with Emirates. What a mistake. There is no leg room if you are tall. When the person in front put their seats back it was most uncomfortable and the staff only begrudgingly asked them to put them upright when the meal was being served. The food was not very good. There was no clean up of the toilets during a 7.5 hour flight. There was no way you could walk around as if you went to the rear of the plane the staff frowned if you went into their space. The films on offer were not very good. The Etihad flight from the Seychelles was an hour late and we came into gate 35 then had to rush to transit at gate 1 and then rush to gate 36 for our Manchester flight. All in all it was an experience that we will not be repeating.

Abu Dhabi (AUH) to London Heathrow (LHR). Etihad requires the passenger to check in at the airport at least 1.5 hrs before the flight. As you approach the airport the streets are filled with signs to guide you on where to go. When you reach workers with trolleys will be waiting for you to help with the luggage. While you're entering the terminal the security check is after the luggage check therefore it will be comfortable for the passenger to go through security without having to worry about the luggage. After the security check and when you are ready to board you will walk through a fairly small duty free which requires improvement. The shops were not organized and small and the food court is very small and does not have the variety that would make the passengers have a good experience at the airport. I boarded the Boeing 777 which was very large compared to the other airplanes I went on. There are two lines before you enter a line for economy class and the other for business and first class. The line for economy was much longer than the other line. I did not have to wait because my ticket was a business class ticket. The flight welcomed the passengers with smiles which was a great start. The passenger is guided to his seat and helped with placing his hand luggage. The seats were small as my expectations were higher for a highly priced ticket that cost 8130 AED. However as the plane took off and the passengers were allowed to move the seats it turned out to be very comfortable as the seats can turn into a bed. The service was very quick and I had access to food at all times during the flight. Overall it was a great flight that I recommend for all.

Flew EY878 (AUH-NRT) on 24 Sept. A332. Had to bus from the terminal to the jet. Managed to get a paid upgrade to Business. Seat seemed to be narrow But was great when flat. Service was outstanding from boarding to disembarkation. IFE in Business was the same as in Economy. I expected more from the amenity kit. I would pay for an upgrade again.

I flew on EY20 (LHR AUH) on 23 Sept. B777 in economy. The flight was empty so we were all able to spread ourselves out. The cabin service was quick and friendly. Drinks flowed and the food was actually really good for economy. IFE seemed limited but acceptable for a short flight. One crew member seemed to be new and a little lost but I'm sure she will be on top of her game after a couple flights. Leg room was fine but seat width across the shoulders may have been uncomfortable if the flight had been full. I will fly again.

Travelled SYD-AUH-LHR and back. Firstly the pros the service and entertainment were great. Food and drinks (water) kept coming. Washroom was clean all the way that's pretty good for 21-22 hours. But the reason I may not travel again on Etihad on a long haul flight are the seats very uncomfortable I am not very tall so leg room was adequate but the seats were very hard and not at all good for my back. The armrest on all flights did not have the cushion part sewn on it it was just hard. For long haul flight all passengers whether first class or economy require a certain degree of comfort which was sorely lacking on Etihad. I am not anti-Etihad perhaps for a trip to NZ I would travel on it again but never again for a trip to Europe.

Flew from Manchester on 21 September to Abu Dhabi with Etihad had very mixed expectations as I had flown last year with Emirates who were very poor. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised as the flight and the staff were outstanding - nothing was too much trouble. Having said how good our flight was we now had high expectations of our connecting flight to Colombo - how very disappointed we were. Badly organized didn't check seat belts left our meal tray for 45 mins after everyone was finished - not sure what they were doing. We only had to wait 20 mins for them to answer our calls and then 10 more mins to bring the wine.

Flew out on 21st Aug BNE-SIN-AUH-ATH. Returned 14th Sep EY470 LHR-AUH-SIN-BNE. This was not the cheapest carrier. Sets are too small for majority of those around 6 ft. I saw at least 7 passengers with their knees jammed in seats and one tall woman in tears. Meals were ordinary and drinks adequate - most staff do their best once on board and the cabin manager was great. Most disturbing thing is the stop and re-board at AUH. Main terminal is a disorganised mess - toilets are inadequate. Bussed to plane air conditioning useless and by the time you get to aircraft you are seething.

Flew from AUH to MAN. No check in at Abu Dhabi as was transit passenger from another airline. Was bussed from remote stand for a long ride unimpressed with the airport itself and long security lines. Seat assignment pre- booked honoured. Full flight to Manchester AVOD was decent but could be better. Found cabin crew polite professional though the male staff seemed professional. Food was good with full hot breakfast before arrival. All in all a good flight which pleasantly surprised me.