Etihad Airways

SYD - AUH. Business class. Great flight. Very attentive crew and really nice food. New Sydney lounge staffed by keen polite people. The whole process was really impressive.

It was a pleasant onboard experience with Etihad except for excess baggage charges. To start with the ground staff was inviting cordial and pleasant. I had to carry an excess of 9 KG of baggage for which I had to shell out around £235 which was a shock to me. I tried to suggest that my existing miles could be used to increase the baggage allowance but the systems did not have the capability. The manager provided me with a discount of 1KG which I was not satisfied much with. The meals served were impressive service was fine inflight entertainment largely remains the same across all airlines so not much of a takeaway here. I have read many reviews on leg space being cramped up on the BLR-LHR route but I found it comfortable based on me being 5'11.

Flew to Perth - Barcelona return and in July with Etihad booked through Virgin including business class on last leg Abu Dhabi -Perth. But Virgin won't give us any points or status credits blaming Etihad. Very poor code-share arrangement and we will be taking this issue to consumer affairs since it is counter to Virgin's website statements. I have read elsewhere that others have had similar experiences.

BKK-AUH-AMS on 1 Sep 2014 AMS-AUH-BKK on 18 Sep 2014. Passengers will fly Etihad and discover: uninspired cabin service narrow seats rude cabin staff (yes coming from a Dutchman) poor on-time performance an absolute joke of an airline hub have written a separate review on the Airport headings. When you pay extra for exit row seats legroom don't sit in the window seat. It has a horizontal bit of door perfect for stretching out your legs (shoes removed of course) but the stewardess will wake you up by shaking your shoulder forbidding you to do this citing a safety issue with the door. There is a sticker on that door bit saying “Do not sit here” something I was not doing. Meal choice was run down to one choice only every meal. The seats on the B777 were painfully narrow painful for me but particularly for the overweight lady being wedged in the chair next to me. Will I fly this airline again - no thank you. Garuda was a much better experience and at least the Jakarta airport personnel were endearingly inefficient by smiling a lot.

Flew LHR-AUH-LHR EY12 and EY11 during October. Just under an hour check in a slow moving queue at Terminal 4 as the online check in facility was not available. Slightly late departure from London and I found the 777-300ER cabin layout cramped in 3-4-3 configuration the actual seat was reasonably comfortable. Entertainment selection was good with responsive touch screen system and good headphones. The biggest let down for me was the cabin crew they did not really provide any "good" service or smiles the male crew in particular I found quite arrogant and more concerned about how they looked. No water runs offered by the crew throughout the flight you had to go to the galley. Return flight to London over an hour late departing and once again I found the crew lacking completely no tea or coffee was offered to me with the breakfast and when I asked the attendant for one he looked at me like I was being a complete pain. Would try not to use Etihad again unless they were very cheap compared to other airlines.

We flew from Sydney to London Heathrow. First part of the flight was code shared with Virgin Australia. This was a 14 hour flight to Abu Dhabi and was fantastic. Unfortunately that's where it ends. From Abu Dhabi to London was dreadful. The seats were so small that one felt claustrophobic. My husband and I were in the middle and aisle seat. We had a well built young lady sat next to us who also filled in half of my husbands seat. (He sat in the middle). The food was horrible. As it was a night flight we were given a breakfast bag consisting of a bread roll filled with meat an orange popper and a fig filled cake. Breakfast was served about 2 hours before landing and not only looked unappetising but tasted it too. On the return journey back we had the same kind of flight to Abu Dhabi which once again was dreadful. The flight attendants all looked miserable and the service was so slow. The empty meal containers were not cleared away for ages and nobody seemed interested if you rang for service. All in all I would not fly Etihad again. I have flown both Emirates and Cathay Pacific to the UK and will return to them.

Terrible experience with Etihad. Booked 5 business class seats Sydney-Abu Dhabi-Cairo return for family with 3 children. Thought it would make the trip easier as younger 2 kids only 5 and 2. Also Business promised overnight hotel accommodation in Abu Dhabi so we justified the huge expense and thought we'd travel in style! Every leg we were seated separately including putting the 2 year old next to strangers. Just assumed I guess we would have seating together. After first leg refused to change seating for other legs. Refused - told we had to wait until on the aircraft and for attendants to approach other passengers to change. Watched anxiously on every leg as they seated and settled every other passenger before they would try to get my kids near us. Arrived late at night after long flight into Abu Dhabi from Sydney expecting hotel room. Airport almost deserted eventually found long line of weary travellers waiting for single attendant. Waited in line for 2 hours with children and adults close to hysterical by then. Eventually reach end of line and are told no booking made for room for us - then later found. Kids in separate hotel room on another floor! Unable even to have adjacent rooms. Service in plane polite but hardly existent. Bell would expire before attended. Twice sent feedback to Etihad. First not even answered second approach through social media got quick request for details which I provided. Response then was not an apology but "disappointment' at my negative 'impression' of their superior service and well trained staff. They assured me that just because I didn't get my 'preferred seating' (as if I'd just wanted a window seat rather than to be near my children) they win awards for their 'inspired' experience. Would never fly Etihad again!

I flew LHR-AUH-LHE the flight from LHR to AUH was ok the food was fine and the entertainment was fine too however the flight from AUH to LHE was awful we were made to sit in the plane for two hours while the passengers from connecting flight boarded the plane. There was no choice in meal rice with chicken there were three pieces of chicken in the whole meal and the desert was a small chocolate bar! I fly Emirates usually and made the mistake of taking Etihad not again.

Am a frequent traveller on both Etihad and Emirates and Etihad are way ahead in service friendliness tasty food and making the experience memorable compared to Emirates which has become stale rude poor tasting food and nothing special. Flight from Dusseldorf to Abu Dhabi (Business Class) - A330. Check-in in Dusseldorf was smooth and straight-forward. No Etihad lounge but can use Air Berlin (not very good lounge). Toilets small dirty and shared between a number of airlines. Boarded flight but departure was delayed slightly. Must commend Etihad staff as the flight was superb - excellent food excellent service attentive and friendly. Seat comfortable but prefer the window seat as it offers more privacy than the aisle seat. I have now travelled with Etihad 8-10 times this year and their standard has certainly improved and continues to do so. Well done. The only comment I would say is that the inflight entertainment although was good on this flight it was not very good on the outward and previous flights.

Flew business class Sydney to Abu Dhabi. Couldn't fault the experience. Flew cattle class Abu Dhabi to Sydney and couldn't find anything good to say about the experience apart from the fact we actually made it back. Food appalling service almost as bad. My review is based on the economy class flight.

Flew return Melbourne to London. This was my first Etihad experience and was unsure after reading some reviews but was pleasantly surprised at the efficiency. Only a slight delay on my return flight but I didn't mind because it decreased my stopover in Abu Dhabi. Quick and efficient check-in friendly staff. Having always flown Qantas or SIA I decided to give Etihad ago and would definitely travel with them again. I consider myself a low maintenance passenger so rarely ask the cabin crew for anything but did notice that they were not particularly friendly or helpful to other passengers. I rarely eat on a plane and so can't really comment on the food but it looked like usual plane fayre.

We flew KUL-AUH-ZRH that was operated by Etihad and the service was good. Coming back via ZRH-DUS-AUH-KUL was complete hell because we had to use Air Berlin and Jet Airways. Paying full-frill fare with 1/3 journey by full- frill airline and 2/3 journey using budget airlines means Etihad has brought air travel to a new level of mockery.

SYD-LHR early September 2014 and return early October First Class. What a waste of money. We had travelled twice before with this airline to Europe in Business class and once in First Class but never again. The food service airport lounges and entertainment were very second rate. Their first class boasts that they have an in-flight chef but he does nothing other than heat and supply the food already mentioned in the menu. Nothing special and what meals we did have were almost inedible - although we had particularly requested seafood the only seafood was baked salmon. Years ago lobster tails but no more. The staff were very pleasant. The seats that turned into beds were not as comfortable as we had in Business and the noise from the aircraft was so bad that we ended up trying to sleep with noise cancelling head phones on. One entertainment unit did not work properly and had very little choice for any TV or movies programs. The staff could not fix it. Also the selection left a lot to be desired as it seemed to cater well for children but not adults. When you have a 14 and 9 hour flight you need a good selection. The first class lounges in both Sydney Abu Dhabi and London were all shared with Business and all were every full. We were advised at the time that the First Class lounges were being 'renovated' - and in both London and Abu Dhabi the queue for the ladies was very long. So much for the extra attention and privileges we should have been accorded with the extra money paid for First Class - non-existent. How this airline gets to be the so-called "Worlds Leading Airline" beggars belief.

BNE-SIN in Business was very polished. The crew were attentive and friendly the wine of high quality and generous. The food was very good. A330 cabin was comfortable and the flight went quickly. Departed and arrived on time bags waiting for us and the limousine pick up was an added extra. Flight home was overnight and not nearly as good including the food which was plentiful but bland. Decided not to eat and slept comfortably on the flat bed instead. Overall for my first flights with Etihad I was impressed.

AUH-LHR on B777. I was asked by the cabin crew to change my aisle seat to a middle exit row sea with another pax. Wish I hadn't. The exit row seats while offering leg room are very narrow. The snack pack offered on the early EY11 departure was sufficient just before sleeping. The pre-landing breakfast was OK. It was a shame one isn't able to use the great IFE gate to gate.

EY141 to Toronto - Sept 23 2014. Flight attendant ignored me (seated by window) a few times as they brought snacks and drinks to the two men beside me. I had to speak up and do a hand signal for them to attend to me. The light call for an attendant was ignored for over an hour that I had to flick the switch on and off after that to even get their attention as I was just too parched and finally when they showed up I had to asked for 2 full glasses of water. It was pretty slow service all along. Even retrieval of food trays took ages. The meals were unappealing compared with other airlines I've flown with previously - and 2x they did not give me an choice but just gave me whatever. I do not know why and at this point I could not care - as I feel I have a better choice of airlines in the future.

August 8th 2014 left Brisbane for Manchester. Our first leg of the flight to Singapore was very uncomfortable seats too narrow and hard and when the person in front of me decided to recline well that was it I knew we were in for a very long flight. It was the same again from Singapore to Abu Dhabi the food was not much better attendants were very good. The last leg did improve from Abu Dhabi to Manchester as it was a bigger plane. Will not use them again.

Upgraded from business to first class I wish they had not. I have a problematic lower back - the First Class suite is very private but the seat gave very little lower back support and for me the business class seat is more comfortable. The staff on board were very attentive and helpful the Chef came and saw I was not interested in the meal options so he offered to make me a Teryiaki Chicken which was delicious although the Pumpkin Soup was lacking in both consistency and taste. The cooler wasn't working on the personal mini bar and those two drinks were undrinkable. The entertainment system was good - it had a few nice classics and also a very good selection on new releases . We arrived with a ten minute delay into Abu Dhabi from Paris CDG but my connecting flight into Doha was delayed by an hour because a few passengers checked in their luggage but did not make the flight. Etihad has excellent on board service but airport services baggage handling and crisis management really let their passengers down!

LHR-AUH-BKK-AUH-LHR. I'm realistic about what to expect in Economy I'm a budget student traveller after all but the service was so indifferent on all legs of the journey. All flights were delayed by at least 2 hours luckily they all had a large amount of connecting passengers so the following flights were held for us. Food was terrible I've had a lot better in economy on Qatar and Emirates. Cabin crew were ok nothing more nothing less no one smiled no one cared never really experienced such indifferent service from crew on any airline. Last time I flew Etihad was in 2010 on the same route and they were great they seem to off fallen hard. I'll stick to my trusted Qatar next time.

LHR-AUH-SYD return. Just returned from a trip to Australia. The chauffeur pick up worked well and the lounge at T4 was very good. Staff very attentive. On A340 on both outbound legs and food and wine of good quality. On the way out visited the crowded lounge in Abu Dhabi but managed to have a shower and the staff helped find me a place to sit. Inbound first leg on code share Virgin Australia. Etihad seats far superior as every seat has an aisle access. On the Virgin flight (777) I had a window seat and had to climb over the passenger next to me when he was sleeping. Pleasantly surprised to find the new premium lounge was opened in Abu Dhabi on the return leg. Staff very welcoming and lounge at least 3 times the size of the old one. Food and wine again good on return legs. My only criticism is that the entertainment on offer is nowhere near what it is on Emirates or Qantas.

Flew (August 24) MCT-AUH-GVA. A320 plane supplied for the MCT-AUH flight was tired filthy and should not be in service without a complete cabin redecoration. Seats were stained carpets filthy and the seat pitch was best designed for circus midgets. We were delayed 30 minutes at MCT with absolutely no explanation in English perhaps one was given in Arabic. In AUH I hurried to my next gate for the AUH-GVA leg of the journey I made the plane which pleased me. The A330 was noticeably cleaner although the seat pitch was still better designed for research monkeys than human beings. After being rushed on board we sat for quite a while until someone from the flight deck finally explained that there had been an oil spill on the airport and that we would be sitting another two hours at the gate until the runway was open again. Being a sound and reasonable man I understood why passengers could not be let off the aircraft again. Water and paper "hot towels" were their only attempt at service in 150 minutes? Their first step should have been prompt announcements in both Arabic and English explaining what was happening then informing us that we would be served beverages and that the inflight entertainment system would be turned on. Food served was a joke on this flight - first a snack (late night flight) consisting of awful sandwich rollups with the advice that we would have a "full breakfast" an hour before landing in GVA. The full breakfast was tired and ridiculous - nothing approaching a full breakfast anywhere. Upon arrival at GVA I was one of about a half dozen passengers whose baggage hadn't "made the flight" despite 150 minutes extra time at the gate. It took three days to get my bag to me. Now let's turn to the return trip flown two days ago from ZRH-AUH-MCT. In ZRH we were boarded promptly and the aircraft another A330 was cleaner than the A330 from AUH-GVA. That sort of tells me that you need to better supervise or replace your cleaning staff at AUH your home airport. The flight was not full so there was room to spread out which many passengers did immediately after "boarding completed" was announced. We pushed back with Swiss precision on the dot. Food served was delicious plentiful catered by Swissport/LSG. In AUH I made my way to my departure gate in another Terminal weaving through what have got to be some of the longest walks in any airport anywhere. Luckily here and there were moving sidewalks although these were usually clogged so I was actually worried I would miss my connection in the relatively short transfer time allotted by Etihad of only 70 minutes between flights. I needn't have been worried. After reaching the gate it was again a story of sit sit sit. No explanation. No communication from the airline. Suddenly almost an hour late we were rushed onto the bus to the aircraft. The air conditioning was not on. After 10 minutes of waiting there was a terrific lurch and air conditioning came on. On the (same) plane familiar conditions - filthy tired upholstery dirty carpets ridiculous seat pitch. And again we sat. This time however the captain communicated with us in excellent English. He didn't provide any explanation for the delay but at least gave us accurate estimates of when we would actually take off. And he apologized which surely must have been regarded as unusual by the crew as they seemed shocked when he did so. The only silver lining in this very cloudy tale? This time the delay must have been enough time for my luggage to make the flight.

I travel at least four times a month with my business around the world and I was excited and also nervous after reading the reviews of prior guests in using Ethiad. The route was Perth to Manchester with the normal stop over. Well what I can say is that the below reviews are spot on. The seat is far too narrow I'm 6ft and weigh 84kgs and I struggled in the seat compared to the other major airlines very disappointing. The meals were ok but again I've had better economy food the soup was running down the side the fish was well over done etc however the breakfast into Manchester was good. I will not be using this airline again for the money paid I wish I had stuck to the normal trusted airlines that deliver.

I flew Etihad for the first time this August because I found an incredibly cheap fare. I flew 4 sectors and I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with the overall service standards. The aircraft's were clean and everything worked well. Most importantly the toilets were clean on most sectors. Very disappointing that passengers dirtied and water clogged toilets on the Istanbul - Abu Dhabi sector. The IFE was adequate even though I found it repetitive during the 3 week period. I feel the content should be changed every 15 days. I had ordered special meals AVML and was served on all 4 legs. However I also found that the person in charge of menu planning needs to look at a little change. On all 4 legs I was given Green lentils in the salad. I am sure a little more variety will not cost anymore. On one leg I had a Green lentil salad and a yellow lentil dhal curry so two lentil items in one meal. On the AUH-MEL sector the flight took off 2 hours late. The boarding commenced late and were kept seated in the aircraft for over an hour. Were advised due to congestion. Still a 2 hour delay is unacceptable without a good reason. We arrived at least 1 hour late in Melbourne. If the fare is reasonable I will fly Etihad again.

Flew Brisbane-Singapore-Brisbane. Hard uncomfortable seats freezing air conditioning inflight entertainment not working on return leg couldn't turn it off! My first flight ever was delayed over an hour waiting for it to come from Abu Dhabi. Was supposed to be contacted for an apology of sorts nothing. Back to Qantas I go.

EY 285 Aug 29th. EY 131 Aug 30th. Flew IAD-AUH-BLR round trip in Economy. 3 out of the 4 segments were delayed two were delayed for more than an hour. Had air conditioner issues for nearly 30 minutes on IAD-AUH segment. No reasoning for delays no proper announcements. No liquids service before the meals IFE is just ok. AUH doesn't have great transit facilities either overall would refer this airline only if the fares are way below the other carriers.

Kathmandu-Abu Dhabi-Manchester. Excellent flight with very good attendants and range of food. IFE could be better difficult to use and limited music choice. The lounge at Abu Dhabi was pretty full when we arrived in the evening as this was peak 'hub' time for Etihad and we had a long layover between connecting flights so not as quiet as anticipated.

Took the Jet Airways operated by Etihad Airways flight from JFK on Sept 5th Business Class. Was told that the flight would be just like an Etihad Flight. No such luck. The layout of the seats in Business Class is completely different. Privacy of the seats is less and the middle seats cannot be combined like the normal Etihad cabin layout. Next the menu - All the entrees and appetizers were Indian. The ice cream which they served from the all day dining was quite inferior. No steak or sandwich choices like the flight to the USA a couple of months earlier. No Wifi on the plane as an option either. Choice of videos does not seem to be quite as extensive but not sure on this.

LHR to Abu Dhabi. Thurs 14 August EY 12. Abu Dhabi to LHR Thurs 28 August EY 17. Check-in at LHR was fast and efficient flight left 1 hour late (approx) female flight attendants were sullen and any normal request eg asking for a glass of water was met with a disapproving look. Service was slow food ok although the cafeteria service was advertised as a choice of sandwiches we were just given 1 which was almost thrown on to our trays. The return flight was completely different service was efficient and with a smile and any request answered in a professional manner.

On July 1 2014 travelled with family from JFK to Islamabad Via Abu Dhabi. At JFK there were long lines to check in. Luckily our sky cap was able to get us checked in right away. We had checked in online night before but it did not matter. Flight was full. Food was mediocre. However during the flight cabin crew were pretty good in service. This airline needs to improve quality of food if it is to compete with Qatar and Emirates.

MEL-AUH GVA-AUH-MEL. Im 6.3 and found the seat right on the cusp of being too small so if you are 6.4 you'll have to bend your legs a little and may find it a little cramped. I travelled with my wife and for the long 14 hour trip we had the middle buddy seats and we really enjoyed it with the divider down of course. The shorter flight I had a window seat and found it to have slightly more leg room than the middle seats. I'm around the 90kg medium build mark. All the seats were comfortable. The pillows were proper pillows and the blankets very comfortable. Amenity pack also provided. Throughout the entire journey all staff were friendly and helpful whether it be at check in aircraft or the lounge. I do believe Etihad are in the process of having dedicated lounges which will also add to the whole experience. The Melbourne lounge is shared with several other airlines and not the greatest but its quiet and offers the basics. Abu Dhabi lounge is to small but for an hour stop over was adequate and had a large variety of food and drink on offer. Meals were very good and having the anytime menu is also a plus. Inflight entertainment was excellent. I would have liked noise cancelling headphones as is offered with some other airlines in business class but they were nevertheless comfortable. Aircraft were in excellent condition and pretty close to brand new. So overall a very good experience and wouldn't have a problem booking with them again.

Tokyo - Abu Dhabi and back on A330 in business for 2 adults and 2 children (46 years). Both flights on time. Flight from Tokyo with (much) better food than from Abu Dhabi (requested child meal was not available from Abu Dhabi also normal/Japanese food was much tastier delicious orange juice from Tokyo). Service hit and miss on one side of plane nice on another not so much. Flying nanny was very good with entertaining my children. Seats nice but too narrow especially on seats "outside" when you get bumped frequently. No much new movies in entertainment system. Overall nice flights but inconsistent.

Flight from Brisbane to Dublin via Melbourne Abu Dhabi Return CDG Abu Dhabi Singapore Brisbane. I have been a loyal Gold Member supporter of Etihad for many years and written many positive reviews so I guess it was only a matter of time before a negative one would take place! Traveled with Etihad Gold Guest Brisbane - Melb code shared with Virgin Australia. Check in easy at Brisbane lounge quite good (maybe 5.5 out of 10) and no glaringly obvious issues. Melbourne - Abu Dhabi upgraded to business class. (8 out of 10) good service. However business class beds really not as big or comfortable as represented in advertising (I am 6ft1). Abu Dhabi to Dublin - average - 6 out of 10. Arrived Dublin and luggage not there. Farcical is a polite way of describing what happened next. Assured it would be on next flight ex Abu Dhabi. All problems were blamed on Aer Lingus. Went to service desk at Dublin airport prior to leaving. Left Dublin for France a week later with still no luggage. Two weeks later return flight to Brisbane. Check in at (CDG Paris). Business / Gold member lounge excellent (10 out of 10). Flight CDG to Abu Dhabi (freezing cold) IFE Good meal service amateur at the most and they ran out of meals. (2 out of 10). Abu Dhabi airport on return trip a total complete and utter shambles. Completely out grown what it was designed for. Flight one hour late and using the same excuse that has been used for my past 7 flights. Arrive Singapore - excellent - good staff who want to do their jobs. In round and out quickly and professionally. Flight Singapore - Brisbane (4 out of 10). Staff appeared disinterested not enough drink runs (water) staff very busy chatting amongst themselves at the back of plane. Time for Etihad to really pull their finger out and improve to regain the quality airline they once were.

SIN to BNE in October 2013. Check-in was pretty uneventful. As for the flight itself I did not expect to have my economy seat to feel so cramped. Maybe because of the dark brown color scheme that it felt so cramped. Also that distinct Middle Eastern aircraft smell made my allergies act up throughout the flight. I wasn't able to enjoy the inflight entertainment because of my allergic condition. The meals were ok but nothing spectacular. Overall pretty much an average airline for economy class despite all the hoopla and press releases about it.

Travelled for the first time on Etihad flying from LHR via ABU to Colombo Sri Lanka. Check-in at Heathrow was excellent. Had 8 hours layover in Abu Dhabi. Got upgraded on the Abu Dhabi - Colombo leg. Service onboard was OK nothing to complain. Staff were polite. Even Business class staff were just OK. Coming back got upgraded again on the Colombo-Abu Dhabi leg excellent Cabin staff. Very nice and polite staff and very attentive. Abu Dhabi - LHR flight was delayed by 1 hour. Not much explanation from the Captain. Staff were not so polite service average on this flight. They left the menu card when passengers were sleeping and when passengers asked (including us) what was for Breakfast they said look in the menu and all of us were looking for this menu. One passenger found it and handed it over to about 5 others. I thought this was very rude wouldn't hurt them to say what was for breakfast since there were only two options. Overall flight was cheap and good - will recommend and travel again.

Okay service onboard with an ok selection of entertainment. Although the IFE starts well after taking off and gets taken away almost an hour before landing! Food was mediocre at best and very bland. There also seems to be a problem at Abu Dhabi airport (which is Etihad's home base) with luggage handling. Items get lost a lot ours included although we were one of the lucky ones whose bag was located and returned even if on the return journey. Customer service is shocking. Will never fly them again given the choice. Flight was also delayed for almost an hour leaving Abu Dhabi without explanation.

Recently flew business class from NY to Abu Dhabi For the amount of money I paid I would expect staff to treat passengers with respect they were very inattentive and frankly even rude to the business class customers. I fly to the Middle East on a regular basis and I have never experienced such inhospitable staff. The cabin temperature was far too cold and everyone was wrapped up in blankets. My food service was poor and the flight attendant kept bringing me the wrong order. When politely asked to change the temperature of the cabin or bring me the correct order the flight attendants gave inadequate responses. My inflight entertainment experience was also poor since they brought me damaged headphones and when I asked for a replacement they gave me cheap economy class headphones. Overall the ground staff and the onboard service was rude.

Shocking. Delayed departure flight missed connecting flight as a result and technical problems on return flight causing hot cabin for almost an hour on tarmac in Abu Dhabi with no air-conditioning. Bad entertainment. I have never heard a pilot apologise as many times before for inconveniences - at least 15 times. Baggage lost as well.

LHR-AUH-SYD return in Pearl Business. First impressions mixed. I was trying to secure a single window seat throughout the journey but I kept receiving error messages on their website. I had to call their call centre multiple times to get this sorted. Chauffeur service in London was great. Check-in was smooth and staff provide you with Express cards for security and immigration. I saw that I was assigned a new seat and when I questioned this I was informed that there was an aircraft change but that I still had a window seat. Our planned B77W was substituted for with the A346 (F1 livery) in old Business Class configuration. The inbound flight from AUH was delayed over an hour but the Etihad Lounge at T4 was excellent with great food and very friendly staff. Upon boarding a steward approached me and asked if I would like to change my seat with a mother and her kid since I had a bulkhead seat (11A). I asked where the new seat would be and was told it would be a middle seat. I politely declined but he kept insisting. Following a lengthy argument he finally decided to leave me alone but whenever I encountered him later on in the flight he gave me nasty looks. The old Business Class seat was ok not too comfortable and quite narrow (and probably not suitable at all for tall passengers). Once in the air service commenced and I was fortunate to have a lovely English lady serving my row who provided excellent service. Food was excellent and offered in generous quantities. Abu Dhabi airport is absolute mayhem. The walk from the gate to security was too long and it wasn't quite clear while standing in the security line that premium passengers enjoyed a separate lane. Once cleared I asked a member of Etihad staff for the whereabouts of the smoking lounge and she sent me on a goose chase to a closed lounge which was 10 minutes walking distance. When I came back I informed her that the lounge no longer existed and then proceeded to the Business Class lounge (which ironically had it's own smoking lounge). The lounge was excellent and there were tons of food options available but really very limited seating. The flight to Sydney was on a B77W with the new Business Class configuration which was a marked improvement. Seat was bigger and wider and quite comfortable but you can't help but regularly bump your legs into the tray which is a design fault. Once again flight was late to depart but service was top notch and all meals of outstanding quality. On the return flight I had the pleasure of experiencing the Etihad Lounge in Sydney one of the best I have ever been to with superb staff and a la carte dining. Flights to AUH and LHR both departed and arrived late. Overall Etihad is a great airline. They have some things to iron out (buggy website all my flights were delayed lounge in Abu Dhabi etc.) but I would definitely fly them again.

We recently flew business class Brisbane-Singapore-Abu Dhabi-Brussels and return Paris-Abu Dhabi-Singapore- Brisbane. I am a coeliac so ordered gluten free meals. The standard of the meals can only be described as very poor and inedible in some cases. My husband's meals were also very ordinary. We have both had far better meals in economy on other carriers! The service from the flight attendants was also very mediocre with requests for tea/coffee going unanswered. There was little recognition of business class with priority boarding etc. When you pay extra I think it is reasonable to assume you would expect extra. We were bussed for what seemed miles in 40 plus degree heat to our plane in Abu Dhabi and were late leaving with no explanation. This resulted in us being late for the remainder of the journey. Two pluses I can mention are the bed configuration and the new lounge at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

EY 170 LAX-AUH 5 Aug 2014 and EY 274 AUH-HYD 7-Aug 2014. We recently flew from LAX to HYD and back with a stop-over in Abu Dhabi. Our nightmare started from LAX EY 170 was delayed over 2 hrs and we missed the EY 274 AUH-HYD. Monitors on EY 170 gave incorrect information that EY 274 was also delayed by about 2 hrs. Upon arrival at AUH we were told by Etihad staff that EY 274 had departed and we had to stay overnight to catch the next flight in 12 hrs. Waited in line for over 90 mins. to get processed to the hotel etc. When angry passengers asked about this the ground staff said the on-board monitor information was incorrect - no apologies offered. Repeat of above on the return flight EY 275 HYD-AUH on August 18 again delayed take-off at HYD and missed connection at AUH. This time we literally ran to the LAX EY 171 gate as the AUH airport monitors showed EY 171 "boarding soon" but about half-way to the gate were told by an Agent that EY 171 had taken off. Again stayed overnight to take EY 171 the next day (August 19). Economy class seats hard uncomfortable and "sliding seats" not recliners flight attendants unfriendly drinks first offered about 14 hrs. into the AUH-HYD flight! Meals sub-standard/small portions. Overall terrible experience with Etihad which started LAX-AUH service in June poor on-time performance disorganized ground staff poor in-flight service and callous attitude.

Our saga started on Aug 18th from Cochin Airport. Abu Dhabi bound flight (EY281) was scheduled to depart at 4.25am. The Boarding Pass said Gate 2 but the electronic display in the airport was showing Gate 6. ETD remained 4.25am until around 4.15am and that's when the announcement came: EY 281 was delayed until 6am because the inbound flight was delayed. As we waited the next announcement came at around 5.30 with a new ETD which is 6.30am. We approached the Etihad desk and they promised the connection flights would wait for us. Our EY 281 flight finally took off around 7.07am and touched down at Abu Dhabi airport at 9.47am. The (cold and stale) breakfast was served 2 hours after departure. When we landed in Abu Dhabi connection flights to various destinations had already gone. There were agents at the airport who directed us to the Transfer Desk. An Etihad agent approached the NY bound passengers and told us there was a flight leaving to NY in 2 hours and there were seats available. 20-25 passengers whizzed out to the gate the agent directed but when we got there the gate was already closed. We turned around frustrated and came back to the Transfer Desk. Cries from 20-25 passengers were ignored. We had to wait another 2 plus hours before we could talk to the ticket agent. He found seats for us on a flight 14 hours later but to our surprise they could not provide us with accommodation. After about 20 minutes of pleading they agreed to give us rooms outside the airport so we were transferred to a limo waiting area. We waited there for about 40 minutes and got transferred to a hotel. Eventually the 2.10am flight took off at 3.40am. They started to serve the meal about an hour later but to my dismay turbulence started and the pilot ordered the cabin crew to return to their seats. It took another 30-40 minutes before they resumed the food service. We finally landed the 8.55am flight in NY at 9.07am. I waited for about an hour but there was no sign of my luggage.

Sydney to Abu Dhabi - August 14th Flight 455. Abu Dhabi - Istanbul - August 15th Flight 97. We paid $8000 for a business class trip to Europe from Australia. 2nd leg on the way over we were downgraded to economy with no warning no explanation (until we complained) and a totally inadequate $200 "bribe" to shut us up. Add to this a 1 hour delay taking off several staff not caring at all of our inconvenience a broken AV system in my economy seat and I am sure you can guess that I would never recommend this airline ever again.

Aug 14-17 BAH-AUH-CMN / CMN-AUH-BAH. Etihad markets itself as a 'leading' airline of the world. I must say they fall well short of such grandiose marketing. Cabin crew are cold unhelpful and frankly have an attitude in dealing with pax. Abu Dhabi airport ground staff are totally overwhelmed and unable to effectively manage the transit pax arriving at AUH everyday. One need only look as far as Etihad's abysmal on-time performance statistics for testament to how poorly the logistics are run. Aircraft are generally outfitted well although IFE is second rate but this does not go very far for pax experience when complemented by the horrible service on board.

I flew Etihad Airways flight 601 from Johannesburg to Abu Dhabi on 30 July 2014. The cabin crew on this flight was exceptional. They turned up the cabin temperature when asked and they were very friendly. The seats were the most comfortable I've sat in in economy class however this plane dud not have power points as expected. Departure was more than an hour later than expected. The connecting from Abu Dhabi to Rome was on flight 83: departure was late and complimentary grooming kits were not provided. It was on this flight that I realized that Etihad does not pay any attention to detail. The return leg of our trip was on flight 84 from Rome to Abu Dhabi on 9 August 2014. Departure was more than an hour late. The cabin crew was as cold as the cabin pressure which was freezing despite numerous requests from "guests" to turn up the temperature. This is unforgivable. I have never been so cold on a flight. We connected in Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg on flight 602. This flight had power points but was also more than an hour late. 45 minutes due to the airline and 30 minutes due to a customer. The cabin crew on this flight were helpful and efficient.

EY 100 JFK-AUH 9 Aug 2014 and EY 274 AUH-HYD 10-Aug 2014. We recently flew from JFK to HYD with a stop over in Abu Dhabi. Our nightmare started on the last leg (Abu Dhabi to HYD). There is no AC at the gate. There is no information given to the waiting passengers. Flight is delayed by 1 hr. Again no info. To our surprise there is no AC onboard while sat on the runway. Again no info. When angry passengers asked about this the flight attendant mentioned some problems with AC and that it would work after take off. Flight attendants often skipped passengers when serving food and beverages.

What a disappointment. I flew London to Abu Dhabi and onto Melbourne August 11/12th. Both flights were delayed although connection was made the flight out of Abu Dhabi was an hour late with no explanation. I chose my seat online 54K as recommended however all seats are hard and very narrow and watching the screen was not a comfortable experience. Surprisingly with so much content to view the movies on offer were woeful. Meals were below average and partly frozen! Worst of all was the indifference by the flight attendants to the blind gentleman sitting next to me. I had to call them to assist otherwise they would have done nothing. I had to open his meals cut it up and put fork in his hand and in effect do their work.

A friend and I booked two tickets to Seychelles in Economy London Heathrow - Mahe via Abu Dhabi then we decided to upgrade to Business Class via the upgrade offer. Our experience at Heathrow Terminal 4 Etihad Business Lounge was amazing great people smiling great food and great service. On our journey back home we did the same upgrade in Business Class. It was fine from Mahe to Abu Dhabi but our stopover in Abu Dhabi was 8 Hours. We were not afraid as based on our experience in Heathrow we thought it would be just great. What a disappointment! At 2am in the morning on 5th August we came to the reception of Etihad Business lounge and we were declined access for the simple reason that our tickets were upgraded from economy. Furthermore the Staff at desk were both arrogant and unhelpful. So we had to wait in this ugly airport with all coffee shops closed until 6am to have a coffee. I complained to customer service and just received a polite answer but no compensation. I will never fly again with this airline.

We flew today from Doha to Venice on Etihad via Abu Dhabi and Rome the flight from Rome to Venice was on Alitalia code share the service on Etihad was very good but again they failed to warn us that baggage handling in Rome were on strike and we ended up arriving in Venice and getting ready to go on a cruise short of three bags why they keep failing to warn their passengers with equipment issues and service problems is just horrible I think I need to take my business elsewhere from now onwards! Please do not take my criticism wrongly Etihad's service on board is one of the best in the business but the end result is what lasts and when you end up in a hotel room getting ready to get on a long awaited cruise holiday without your clothes you begin to ask yourself why on earth did I fly with these people and why did they not re-route me when they knew about the problem but still took the risk with my holiday!

I've flown with Etihad for more than 20 times in the past 3 years mostly from CAI to AUH. Pros: The planes are new and in good shape. Fabulous IFE so you're entertained which is a crucial factor for me. Cons: Seats are too cramped. More importantly on most occasions staff are unfriendly. Every time I travel I say I'll give them another chance but same old unfriendly staff attitude. You feel you need to beg them to do their job! Despite the above I'm still using Etihad as sadly my other alternative would be Egyptair who don't have an IFE on AUH flights so I'm stuck with Etihad.

We upgraded to Business Class from Manchester to Abu Dhabi and were underwhelmed. Both flights were late (although not significantly) with no explanation. The seats are quite comfortable although a bit narrow and clearly it is better than flying economy. But the service was very below par. On the first leg the crew were pleasant and attentive but got several things wrong (eg bringing the wrong meals). On the second leg though (a long one) the crew were awful. In my view we didn't even get economy class service. Nobody introduced him or herself they staff were off-hand to the point of rudeness the meals took forever to come and the staff didn't respond to any minor requests. For example I wanted a little sugar to sprinkle on my breakfast cereal-I was told that only sugar lumps were available and it wasn't until I suggested that I could go myself and collect some from economy that some appeared! This is just one example of the inadequate and even offensive service. My main course at dinner was almost stone cold and because I had waited so long for it I didn't send it back but it was really horrible. This has never happened to me in scores of long-haul economy flights. Also our trays did not have the correct cutlery on them so we had to keep asking for appropriate utensils. Again this doesn't happen in economy! Another issue was that when one pushed the button for service nothing happened. On two occasions we waited for over ten minutes and nobody appeared. Altogether - very poor we would never fly Etihad again. I have no idea where they get the good ratings that they boast about. The only good thing about the airline is that the call centre staff are very pleasant and helpful.