Etihad Airways

they have a very restrictive refund policy… rather there is no refund unless you are dead. Plus, there is no way to get in touch with the airlines. no phone no email nada!
The sheikhs have a terrible business model going.

Worst airplane, worst customer service!
Rude helpline staff, no one responds to customer grievance e-​mails as well!
Please do not book your tickets with Etihad if you expect a ‘decent’ flight experience.

On a connecting flight from one Etihad plane to another our seats were given away. When we made it to gate, on time, their explanation for giving our seats away was «we didn’t think you would make it». Hey Etihad! It is not what you think, it is what you know. This lead to a 22 hour delay. During this delay it was so difficult to have customer service to do anything to correct their wrong. Just bad on many levels.

Worst experience of my life! These guys are rude. I had one bag overweight and my plan was to pay for it. It is usually $ 75 for all the flights. Only they decided to charge $ 350 dollars. yes. $ 350 dollars for a few more extra pounds. I hated the experience. I had to take my stuff out cuz I think even FexEx costs cheaper. And I went back to check in, she asked me to go back and stand in the line again. They made sure that even carry on was exactly 7 kilos. I’ll never fly with them ever again. And I would advise everybody to not to fly with them… Argh!!! HATED IT!!!
These idiots spoiled my mood. Do yourself a favor, pay few extra dollars and NEVER fly with them.

WORST! WORST! WORST! Ever .
Save your self-​respect … never travel with these jerks.
Starting from there Customer service /​ticketing /​hostess are so ridiculous. This is the first time I tried Etihad but I regret that decision.
Took a family with a infant, was told to go first in the line to get a bassinet as first come first serve. So was in line at 4.30am but the agent there (Neetu) said no bassinet available as all of are taken. When said what the customer care person told me to be in the line first, she arrogantly said they (Customer care) don’t know about the rules here. I cannot give a bassinet as all of them are all reserved. When I demanded for talking to a supervisor she said she is the supervisor can if you want to travel you can go in the seat I allocated. That was very rude of her.
Next, Flight was scheduled at 8.45am but departed around 10.15 which obviously ensured that we miss the connecting flight. In flight, there was very poor hospitality shown by the most of the air hostess except a couple of them. They treat as if they’re the owners of that plane.
Sure enough, we missed the connecting flight and given few food tokens to go eat in the restaurants. The flight was late over 8+ hours and they didn’t give us any accommodation. When asked for rooms we were told that they’ve so many sofas to lay-​down and rest.
Again, in the final destination baggages were delayed by 2 hours.dammit. What a hell’a of service.
NEVER EVER AGAIN I WILL GO WITH THESE BUNCH OF IDIOTS.

Could not find an entry for Etihad at the airport so using this one. Had a pretty bad experience checking in. I paid a lot of money for my business class ticket and expect courteous service when I checkin. Not what I got just now. The woman at the counter had a really bad attitude not just to me but the person who was in line front of me as well. I don’t need a rude smart alec early in morning. She gave me a hard time about the weight of my carry on luggage. I understand you need to enforce some rules but do it with respect and not with snide comments. Not sure if this person works for Etihad directly or for Jet who I believe Etihad does a code share with. Will be taking my business elsewhere moving forward.

Traveling in the SFO — AUH — BLR sector was the worst experience I have ever had. Domestic flights across the country have better service than this international flight. The stewardess are very rude and meal service is miserable.
Although the travel time is lesser, they guarantee passengers leave the flight with a headache.
Do rethink your booking with this airline

For me it was one of the best experience I had on flight. The counter agents were so friendly and helpful and then the crew on board doesn’t only look amazing in the new uniform but also so friendly and helpful.
The food was good, it is true that the most options are indian food and the reason is because more than 90% of the passenger are indians and it is really nice from the company to try satisfied those passengers.
I recommend this airline as you will never see other airline care as Etihad.

I wish I could give a zero to this airline, I have been travelling to and from India for the last 23 years but haven’t had such a bad experience on any other airline, everything from food to in-​flight service sucks, seats are bad, they hardly give full food and snacks, I won’t recommend this airline to anyone.

SFO-​AUH on Dec 18, 2014, no water in toilet, no coffee due to not having water. They were acting like this just happened and had no idea water pump would not work in this flight. Liars, I see another passenger has the same complaint who flew a month apart.
Next leg, AUH-​DAC toilet leaked all bags under seat smelled like you know what? Food were all Indian, kids did not enjoy the food.
On the way back it was uneventful, not grossly delayed. Looked like full crew came with the Jet airlines. One young lady was very caring, awaking up passenger to eat food because next food would be served after long time right b4 landing. That was a nice touch.

Had an forgettable experience with Etihad
1^st Journey SFO– Abu Dhabi — Mumbai (Dec 18^th 2014)
Return Mumbai — Abu Dhabi — SFO (Jan 5^th 2015)
While we started on time the 1^st segment had a pump issue in restroom and hence there was no water in restroom for the 14 hour flight. Imagine the horror for people traveling with small children like my family
The Crew also was very irritable and any request for extra water /​snack was met with grunted acceptance.
On the Mumbai segment they ran out of Vegetarian food and dished out meat to pure veg folks.
After reaching Mumbai without any further incident thought this was just a one off case
Return journey …
Initially flight boarded 4 hrs late in Mumbai … After reaching Abu dhabi they had cancelled our next flight to SFO because originating flight from Abu dhabi started late.
Even though we had arrived 90 minutes prior to take off in abu dhabi for the SFO flight
We were now stranded in Abu Dhabi
There was also a sandstorm /​fog at abu dhabi and several passengers were stranded.
We were bumped to the flight the next day. All 4 members in our party were given different seats even though I had 2 kids below 7.
In Spite of checking on our luggage in Mumbai, Abu Dhabi at the counters and the gate and the staff there assuring my baggage is coming with me, we landed in SFO without any checked in bags (6)
Had asked for special meals on all the 4 segments. Never got any special meal. On one of the segments the inseat entertainment would also not come on… harrowing experience…
Then started the circus of calling from US every night (Abu Dhabi day time) to understand where my bags are… After 10 days and different answers everyday I got my bags in hand.
The saga continues…
Etihad SFO division sent me a note that I am entitled for compensation and asked me to fill some forms. I did within 24 hrs.
Then they said they mailed a check … which I have not got till date.
Its been 5+ months … neither have I seen the check nor any explanation/​guidance if I will ever see one.

I flew from San Francisco to Abu Dhabi and then to Kathmandu. Then back from Kathmandu to Abu Dhabi. flight got delayed and missed. They were kind enough to fit me in flight to Los Angeles next morning and provided with voucher to spend a night at the airport hotel.
I upgraded my ticket to Business class from SFO to KTM. Compare to other international airlines, their service is poor in business class standard. It took hour and half to get my drink after plane took off from the ground in Business class — KTM To ABU. On the way back, I decided to try Economy class from Abu Dhabi to USA and found out it was the most horrible flight experience I had in the past twenty six years flying back and forth from USA to other countries.
Ok, let me make it clear, it was all about flight attendants. Sixteen hours of journey itself is not that easy. One needs to be hydrated constantly to keep with the long journey. However, attendants treated passengers like they are looking for free food and handouts. It was the most pathetic scene. If they can not provide «free» food or drinks, how about selling?
I think the management in Etihad Airlines is extremely poor and I would be hesitant to fly agin.
I don’t think they can survive catering only «Western» customers.

This airline deserves ZERO stars.
I called about a reservation as their online site is not real time in terms of selecting seats on check in. Seats that appeared to be available actually were not — I only got the message after I tried to save the selection. The same seats that are not available still showed up on subsequent logins. The conversation started off well — exchange of information etc. Then when I asked about the seat map and asked which aisle or windows were available on the long haul flight — he provided 6A. This confused me as 6A was not even on the online seat map, Economy started at 21. I tried to confirm the information as he may have been looking at the first leg of the trip. He did not and confirmed the seat again and asked if I would like to change the seat. I provided the details of the long haul flight and he raised his voice and said that it was under airport control so he would not be able to change. One of the rudest exchanges and clearly lying (either about being able to change or its under airport control). I am shocked this is an airline from the UAE — one of the wealthiest countries in the world and the technology utilized is so outdated where their site cannot provide real time information. The planes are surprisingly poorly maintained (interior) with dirt and grime on the trays and seats.
This airline has made it to my No Fly list — which only includes Spring Airlines (China based domestic budget).

I have always used Emirates or British Airways in past. I have been living in US for past 15 years Etihad flight was the worst flight I took as far back as I remember.
.
1. Breakfast after like 1hr of take off. There was no service for like 14hrs. Nothing not even a snack. I wasn’t sleeping, I thought may be it is a miss, return will be different, ultimately last meal/​lunch was served after 14hrs; first time without any intake for a long flight wasn’t good experience at all.
2. When it was time to fly to next hop from DXB ground staff was just hanging there, with no announcement that flight is late. After 30min. they started boarding. No information was communicated that flight is getting late. Surprisingly lazy people.
3. There was no restaurant or a decent place to eat once immigration is done at Abu Dhabi on way back. There was really small tea place, with very limited choices which I wasn’t expecting from an airport like Abu Dhabi for International passengers
4. On flight back, I got a good seat with leg space at front next to exit door. At time of service as soon as I pulled tray out. boy I was surprised with amount of bad smell. It was a vomit, really from Abu Dhabi to SFO flight… I had to fold it back and hold tray on my lap. I complaint to flight attend, she said she will be back. She serviced the whole row, came back with a spray cleaner. Clean the tray and nope, the smell was that bad, had to put the tray back. First time I came to know how hard it is to hold a tray specially when the round to pickup trays turned out to be after an hour. I wanted to complain to someone else like an in-​charge attendant, but staff was hardly to be found. Attendant also said they don’t clean all the trays when plane parks, really that’s bad hygiene, especially if there is a vomit.
5. On the way back there was only one choice of meal, vegetarian. Same 13hrs-​14hrs gap of no service. I remember they brought water one time. I had to go back and latterly ask if you have any cookie for me to consume.
I wouldn’t be using Etihad any time, like ever. JetAirways or no JetAirways, its Etihad to be blamed. I am willing to wait close to 8hours on Dubai airport for my next flight but not taking Etihad again.

My poor experience with Etihad wasn’t nearly as dramatic as others I’ve read here. For me it boiled down to a few unpleasant things about the long journey:
1. They were about 45 minutes late getting us on board the plane, then we waited for more than an hour on the plane for «some paperwork». They gave coach passengers water, but nothing else.
2. The service in coach is horrible. They offered just two, pretty gross meals (I couldn’t eat the second one) on the 16 hour flight (nearly 18 hours if you include time waiting at the gate and on the plane at SFO).
3. When I asked a flight attendant for a drink, she told me «Not now. Now it’s time for you to sleep.» For the rest of the flight, I walked back to the back of the plane, where all of the flight attendants were hanging out, to get my drinks. They were actually pretty nice about it as long as I was the one doing the leg work.
4. The 777 they use for flights between SFO and AUH is pretty old and beat. The interior is worn and there were mosquitoes in the coach cabin. The flight attendants seemed unaffected at all by the idea of mosquitoes inside the airplane.
5. The bidding to upgrade feature doesn’t seem to work very well. I bid for a business upgrade but was denied. I was then offered an upgrade at the ticket counter for nearly three hundred dollars less than my bid. Fortunately this gave me business class back to SFO. The service was certainly better but not amazing. I’ve had better service in coach on Singapore Airlines.
One interesting feature of flying through Abu Dhabi is the Customs and Boarder Protection office in the airport. It COULD make international travel much easier, except that you have to go through two different security screenings to get to the CBP location. In the end, it’s just as much of a hassle as doing customs and immigration at SFO. In the end, it basically adds no value to the traveler.

I wish there was a way to give it a zero star. Never ever transit through this unreliable airlines/​abu dhabi if you are traveling to USA. My parents were traveling from Calcutta to SFO via AUH. They made it to the boarding gate 45 mins prior to scheduled departure time. Yet they were denied to board the plane. Reason: the US CBP pre-​immigration clearance booth had been shut down by then. Why on earth that booth close down before the passengers boarded the plane?
Then the reason for zero stars: the airline staff were unreasonable, unfriendly and clueless. They couldn’t explain what exactly was the situation. They asked the passengers to wait for another 4 hours to get an update. They were supposedly waiting for an email response from somebody so that they can put the stranded passengers on a plane to SFO. Really? An email and wait for 4 hours for a response? There were 2 flights to SFO via ORD and another via JFK within these 4 hours. But they did not let these stranded passengers board any of there while there were available seats on at least one of those planes.
Never fly this cheap airline.

When I checked in SFO to Abu Dhabi flight on Feb 9^th 2015, they told me that it would be one hour delayed because the flight from Abu Dhabi was late.
I left my phone numbers and e-​mail address with which they could inform me the delay. However, they did not inform the delay at all.
It is my first time to travel with Etihad. As I read other reviews and bad news about the airline, I am now beginning to be worry the quality of this airline.

This is a really unreliable flight in my opinion.
I was flying with my wife from SFO-​ABU DHABI-​JAI on Dec 27.
When i reached Abu dhabi at 1pm 28 dec, my connecting flight was supposed to be at ~11.30pm same day. But due to fog conditions it got delayed to 8.30am (on paper, they actually took off at ~11am next day !).
So, i was stuck at abu dhabi for ~20 hrs. I asked them for hotel they didnt provide. I asked for visa and i had to make three rounds to cc desk for 9 hrs, without any progress on visa. They did provide us sleeping pods for 5hrs (there was one kind lady amongst pathetic cc service desk).
We slept at airport for ~10hrs before boarding flight next.
They should value their customers and make arrangements for their stay if they delay flights so much !
I am not gonna fly this flight again, i suggest avoid this flight and go for Emirates at most if you have to fly via uae.
Pathetic unreliable airines.
ps: i had posted similar review on skytrax and they pulled it down. Just helping real people here make informed decisions.

WARNING: If you buy the ticket it’s not guaranteed to fly. They oversell the ticket and when you go to checkin they might tell you that you can’t fly. Please be advised.
I bought a ticket from
for my wife on 31^st July for a roundtrip from San Francisco to Dhaka via Abu Dhabi to fly from 11^th dec to 10^th January. On 10^th January when my wife checked in the counter at Dhaka the agent told my wife that they can give a boarding pass from Dhaka to Abu Dhabi but she has to collect the boarding pass from Abu Dhabi for the flight to San Francisco. My wife not knowing what’s waiting for her agreed to it. My wife reached at Abu Dhabi on 11^th Jan around 12.30 am. Her next flight to San Francisco is supposed to leave at 2.45 am. Upon reaching the airport at Abu Dhabi the employees of Etihad told my wife that she can’t fly because the flight is full. My wife got stunned knowing that she already purchased the ticket and she assigned the seat online on www. etihad .com. We had this confirmation email. To make matter worse they told her they don’t have arranged when the next flight she can be and advised her to wait.
My wife got panicked and sent me a message on Facebook of the situation. I called Etihad of the situation and to my surprise they told me they don’t know when they can arrange a plane. I kept fighting with them at last they got a ticket from Abu Dhabi to JFK in NY at 10.45 am. My wife’s original flight was at 2.45 am. So it’s already 8 hours later from the original date. The next problem is they could not get any flight from JFK to SFO on the same day. She is supposed to reach at JFK at 4.30 pm on 11^th January and the earliest they could give me a ticket on 12^th January at 7 am. They could not promise of any hotel for this 15 hours stay at the JFK airport and advising me to tell my wife to talk to Etihad manager at JFK.
I had to accept the ticket because there was no alternative left but to accept the ticket. In the mean time I told them that if I can find a better earlier ticket from JFK to SFO they have to arrange for that. I kept looking for a ticket from JFK to SFO on 11^th January so that my wife does not have to wait for 15 hours without any place to stay. It must be mentioned that as her original destination was to San Francisco she did not have any good winter clothes. Now that they rerouted her to JFK and have to stay she got panicked that she can’t even go out without any winter clothes because the temperature is 12 degree outside.
I again called them in the morning of 11^th January because after searching online I found a direct flight from JFK to SFO at 8.30 pm. I called them to change the plane because now there is an earlier flight available. To my surprise now they kept telling me that they can’t change it because I accepted the flight on 12^th January from JFK to SFO. I kept telling them that they promised to change the ticket if I find something earlier. After 1.30 hours of fighting with them they finally agreed to give me the ticket from JFK to SFO on 11^th January at 8.30 pm.
The whole mess is because they gave my ticket to somebody else from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco even though I bought the ticket and assigned the seat. When I posted my situation on Facebook lots of my friend kept telling me the same story and how they suffered. So selling the ticket twice is not an isolated practice by Etihad rather they do it regularly. I have couple of Friends and relatives who can tell the same and similar story. Even if you go to their facebook page at
you will find that there are many people who posted the same story of their ticket being sold to somebody else.
This is a fraudulent business practice to the least. They have not made any compensation for physical sufferings, mental sufferings and lost work. My wife is supposed to go to school on next day and now because they intentionally delayed her she is going to miss the school.
I strongly urge to look at this fraudulent and deceptive business practice of Etihad Airways. I can find at least couple of other people who faced the situation.