Update: Horrendous Flight With Etihad: How Much Compensation To Expect

[Shrek]

Update: Poor Etihad flight....what compensation to expect ???

Ok first dunno how the topic link thingy above works so fingers crossed.

I posted in late November about a "horrendous journey" back from BKK to Manchester, and subsequently about Etihads initial poor (non-?) reaction to the complaint, ("Poor flight...how much compensation") and then their offer of two 'free' adult tickets, but only as far as Abu Dhabi, which was useless to me .

Well thought I had best do the gentlemanly thing, having slated Etihad. After about ten exchanges to their customer relations team in AD, including copying many to the Dr Sheik whatever (dont suppose for a minute any copies got within 50 miles of him)....they made a new offer this morning of two free tickets return to BKK !!!

Complete shock...their service had been SO poor yet outside of the EEC airlines seem totally unaccountable.

So, credit where its due Etihad, well done for making an attempt to do the right thing.

Is this faith in human nature restored or the value of not giving up if you know you are in the right ?

Edited January 31, 2008 by Shrek

[jingjoe]

Squeeky wheels get the most oil, and those arab's have plenty. Congratulations for your persistence and the very cool outcome.

[onzestan]

Congratulations from me too.

Good to know that after all,(and some pressure) they have done the honorable thing.

Thanks also for posting the outcome

cheers

onzestan

ps I hope the free flight goes without problems.

[jingjoe]

You're on a roll, make sure you hit 'em up for an upgrade at check-in

[Shrek]

Blood and Sand

Got home last night to a letter from "James Hogan, Chief Executive Officer"; mailed from Abu Dhabi.

" The matter is being investigated by this office on behalf of His Highness Dr Sheik doodah thingy"

Looks like I've kicked someones chair leg.

[Lickey]

So it wasnt a Horrendous FLIGHT with etihad, it was the delay at Abd, why dont you make yourself more clear, help others understand your posts?

[britmaveric]

Well done, lets hope the flights are uneventful this go around.

[yorkman]

Blood and Sand

Got home last night to a letter from "James Hogan, Chief Executive Officer"; mailed from Abu Dhabi.

" The matter is being investigated by this office on behalf of His Highness Dr Sheik doodah thingy"

Looks like I've kicked someones chair leg.

Excellent. Keep it up.

Tell Jim that you want First Class for life, or you will publicise it on the internet

[Robski]

I've always found Etihad to be very good. There's certainly worse out there.

[Shrek]

So it wasnt a Horrendous FLIGHT with etihad, it was the delay at Abd, why dont you make yourself more clear, help others understand your posts?

To me the flight comprises all points of contact with Etihad staff, and contact in BKK, AD and London was at best non-existent at worst downright deceiptful.

I have always gone along with the fact that delays will happen...its how how you handle the customers who are put out, and in this case Etihad were simply disgraceful.

OP "The flight out of BKK was 3 hours late so everyone missed their connection in Abu Dhabi....so check in took me 4 hours and I was 7th in the queue. This was followed by a 8 hour wait in the lounge at AD (were promised a hotel in AD bu BKK staff but when we got to AD they refused one).

We eventually got rerouted to Heathrow and then to Manchester 13 hours late.

Etihad staff were non existent at each airport on the way. Their paperwork was not done so staff at the next airport knew nothing of the problem, causing more delays.

Baggage was lost for 24 hours and then cases damaged.

Bottom line is you can get to AD but you cant get any further...there were only 6 departures scheduled all night, 3 of them cancelled, and none were to western europe.

I have to say also that I find the upper class / businessman person type in UAE the most arrogant and ignorant in the world. 2 years ago they asked my thai wife to leave a restaurant at AD airport as she was female and this time they excelled, from insisting on smoking cigars the size of cucumbers whilst my kids were eating breakfast to ignoring all queues and walking straight to the front. Annoyingly the airport staff and etihad staff just let them.

Do youselves a favour go from either london, franfurt, amsterdam etc to bangkok where regardless of flight delays you can easilly get home; and where the locals at least have a granule of liking and respect for non-arabic visitors."

See....not a mention of inflight problems.

The post was explicit....if you had bothered to read it.

[Shrek]

I've always found Etihad to be very good. There's certainly worse out there.

Too right.

In flight I had few if any complaints.

The essence of this is that if you miss a connection in AD you are stuffed.

DONT expect to be taken care of, kept informed, put in a hotel, or even spoken to in a polite fashion.

There is a GULF (no pun intended) between their in flight service and their back up.

If all's going swimmingly you are ok. If anything goes wrong take a deep breath.

[Lickey]

Ahh, my eyes are decieving me! perhaps the OP statement does not read UPDATE HORRENDOUS FLIGHT WITH ETIHAD, ok so now youve got free tickets, are you going to use them or auction them? Mrs and me need to go to UK in October.