Etihad Airways Reviews 194

If I can give them zero I would, worst flying experience. I felt I was scammed , very rude staff, she treated me as I am stupid because I couldn't understand why she weighed the laptop bag .
I choose them just because of the price, but they made me pay extra charge which worked out to be the same price as much better airlines.
They charge for entertainment on plane for 8 hours flight, they weigh the backpack, they charge so much for the extra leg seats .
So basically you pay what you saved , but you do transit and there was a delay one hour and you deal with rude staff .

Awful customer service.
Etihad lost 3 items of our group of 4 luggage, and when the cases were found three days later they were trashed.
Etihad refused to pay any compensation (we had lost a few days' holiday and had to buy replacement items) and when we complained, their "customer services" ignored us.
Our travel insurers contacted Etihad, and they were ghosted. A year later and still no progress. Our insurers have said they have a huge file on Etihad's awful attitude to their customers' losses.
Etihad simply don't care.

Absolutely shocking to be honest.
I thought this was suppose to be one of the best airlines.

You cannot add extra baggage after 24 hours prior to the flight.
Website clearly states it is $44 USD per 5 KG from Europe to the Middle East.

Woman at airport said this is not set in stone and charged me 680 EUROS for my baggage.
I did not have this money- I had to leave loads of mine and my daughter's clothes.

I know what some people will be thinking, that I should know this etc - BUT I do fly all the time and I tried to book extra baggage and they wouldn't allow it. The website clearly states it will cost $44 per 5kg at the airport but NOPE. This is a Toal lie and subject to change by 4 times the amount apparently.

Woman then wanted out Emirates ID even though we had already given our passport and husbands emirates ID had expired whilst we were away - she took this to her manager to see if this is ok - How ridiculous!!!! We can still enter the UAE with a passport so what did this matter! She was absolutely horrible.

Expected the plane journey to be better but nope.
They ran out of water on the flight so no water, no tea, no coffee, and no water to flush peoples excrement on the toilet.
Wonderful....

Wasn't aware you have to pre book a children's meal as there was nowhere about this on the 'MY BOOKING' page when I had previously looked. Most flights just give you a kids meal when you're booking a kids ticket!

Staff brought my 4 year old a pack of crayons as the captain announced our decent into Dubai. a bit too late.

Overall - absolutely never again.

I booked an Etihad Airways flight from the UK to Colombo, Sri Lanka in July 2024. The ticket (referencing the elecronic ticket itinarary) I was sold started at Bristol Airport to London Heathrow & then on to Colombo via Abu Dhabi. It transpired that the Bristol to London leg was a overland bus. On arrival at Bristol Airport, I could not find the bus. I established after many phone calls and enquiries, that the bus, for this particular trip, did not exist. I was told by the bus operator (a well known company) that the only way I would get on my flight in London was to make my own transport arrangements. This I did, and got a taxi from Bristol airport to London Heathrow at my own cost of nearly £300. I only just made the flight. I promptly made a complaint to Etihad detailing my abysmal experience, on their website, requesting reimbusement for my expense & compensation for the inconvenience & disruption. Several phone calls, and 6 weeks later, I recieved an offer to reimbuse me for my taxi fare only, with absolutely no reference to my request for compensation. I have refused this offer & asked the airline to address the issue of compensation, with a revised offer. Now over 13 weeks after my complaint and many more calls to an utterly ineffectual customer service team, still awaiting a response. I have pointed out to customer services that their response will shape my overall experience of flying with them, and that the customer service so far has been non-existant. Update: After 16 weeks and numerous phone calls, I was again sent the exact same offer to reimburse my taxi fare, with no reference to compensation, with the statement " I understand the inconvenience this situation MAY have cause..." This is an organisation where customer service and satisfaction is an alien concept. Avoid, avoid this airline.

We booked the flights from Colombo to Copenhagen with 2 stops at abu dhabi and Hethrow. And at the time of checking in at the Colombo airport the counter informed that we can not be boarded because we do not posses a transit (F***) visa to Hethrow (just for the 2 hours we are transiting there). But neither did Etihad official website, in their booking, nor during the online check in mentioned such a visa requirement. The proceeded with only the schengen visa but never requested for a transit visa-which is their ground responsibility to mention, since they are the provider airline. The Etihad counter said agents know this. What a filthy argument is that for their website missing important information for passengers? So we had to cancel the whole trip, rebook another set of flights in another route which is due in 48hours later, and all our planned activities messed up. We had to pay almost 900USD for the change of booking, plus for travelling to and from airport several times plus the massive inconvenience caused. For all these the route cause is the Ethad airline's utterly irresponsible website. It misguided us to say the trip we booked was flawless and complete without any lacking information. Legal actions to follow against this inconvenience and the loss Etihad caused us.

Take your cheating and fraud back to your own useless country and stop ruining EUROPEAN football!!!

NORMALLY I TRAVEL BY QATAR BUT NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED THIS TIME I DECIDED TO FLY WITH ETHIAD. THIS IS THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICES I EVER FACED IN MY LIFE . I ADDED COMPLIMENTARY SHUTTLE SERVICE FROM ABU DHABI TO DUBAI AND GUESS WHAT THEY CANCELLED IT AND IT HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE SINCE THEN. THE ADVISORS/INDIAN CALL CENTRE KEPT ON INSISTING ON CANCELLING AND REBOOKING TICKETS AND PAYING THE DIFFERENCE EVEN THOUGH IT WAS AIRLINE MESS. HAD IT BEEN THE OTHER WAY AROUND THEY WOULD HAVE EASILY BLAMED ME. THE WORST NIGHTMARE EVER

DON'T EVER TRAVEL BY ETHIAD, LESSON LEARNT!

Worst airline I have used.

Plane broke down and was 20 hours late no compensation.

They say because it is registered to UAE they dont need to comply EU laws in case of delays.

Also it took 6 months for them to repond to any of my feedback.

I called them 5-7 times, they always said they will respons in 3 days. When they finally responded, it was clear they did not investigate the issue at all.

I really got a pathetic experience with a recent reservation I made for my mother and husband. The booking reference is 4BX6SR from Hyderabad, India to Toronto, Canada via Abu Dhabi. I reserved the seats 42B for my mother and 42A for my husband(window seat) and paid extra money so my mother can sit comfortably and take support on my husband's shoulder. Later, I requested for wheelchair assistance without the knowledge that the seat would be revoked without informing me. So as soon as I came to that the seat was revoked, I contacted customer care. I told the whole story to the gentleman, after talking to him for almost an hour, he withdrew the check-in and guaranteed the same seat 42B for my mother and asked to reach out to the check-in counter for a new boarding pass. My husband reached out but the ground crew refused to offer the seat so I have to reach out to the customer care again. At this time, the customer service started blaming me without resolution I have to disconnect the call. This is unacceptable service. Highly disappointed with this business.

This company is a joke.

I had to pay for the hotels in their stop over program.
When I booked the flights for me and family, it was very clearly stated on the website that we can get FREE accommodation for 2 nights for the stopover in Abu Dhabi.

That's the main reason why we chose Etihad Airways vs other airlines to fly to South Korea.

I didn't book the hotel right after purchasing the flight tickets because we wanted to better define our plans.

Later they said that the program had changed and we had ended up having to pay for the accommodations. This was super scammy practice.

They stole my $2100
I had a flight from Phuket to Abu Dhabi and from Dubai to Bishkek after (by Emirates). But Etihad told me that my flight is overbooked and I don't fly today. I lost time, money for my second tickets, and also now 22 days already and they didn't back my money for original tickets ($2100, not cheap). Etihad Airways is scammers.

P.S. And I am an influencer with 2M subscribers in social media, and they know it. Just imagine.

upd: They stole my money August, 21, and disappeared from any conversations with my from September, 4, but Visa through my bank (I've asked a chargeback) backed my money.
Do the same thing, coz etihad thieves could only steal but never back. F**ing scammers!

Rubbish airline from start yo finish. Ordered special Meal was told they haven't got it and there is nothing else to givd us. it was 24 hours without food. My luggage was damaged aswell but was told don't qualify as the bag photo hasn't got the tag attached. Worst airline I have ever been. Wouldn't recommend to anyone.

Well where to start from..... Made a booking with Etihad on the 04/07/2024 For the 23/01/2025 - 20/02/2025 from Athens Greece to Koh Samui Thailand. Up to here all good.
About 2 weeks later I received an e-mail prompting me to change my first leg of the flight for the same date but instead of 13:30 departure time, now new time is for the 23/01/2025 - 06:40 which for me is impossible due to that I live on an Island and I have to take a domestic flight to Athens and then get my outbound flight from Athens to USM.
Clicking on the e-mail link and prompted to the Etihad site to make changes..... With the only option for the 06:40 flight..
So i decided to call Etihad on the Greek Phone number listed on their site!!! In my surprise, there was no Greek-speaking Agent.... So i proceeded speaking with a call center, most probably in India.
I asked the agent if she could change my flight for the previous day ( 22/01/2025) because the itinerary was exactly the same as my original booking. After explaining my situation to the agent, she made the flight change for the 22/01/2025 - 13:20.
After hanging up the phone i received my new e-ticket ( Itinerary ) via mail and in my SURPRISE i saw that the agent ONLY changed my first leg of the flight leaving me stuck in Abu Dhabi for 24hours............. and then continuing my connecting flights to BKK-USM.....
I called back to ask why such a change was made. The only reply i got was " Your case has gone under investigation so we can hear the call and se who's fault it was, and only one leg was changed" !!!! I asked, why would you only change 1 leg of the flight??? Can't you see the profile of the guest itinerary??? I chose the Least hours flight outgoing and ingoing!!!

Since then, it's now the 02/09/2024 and after 5 calls and chatting via FB with other agents.... no reply or solution to my issue.!! I called Etihad yesterday to make the flight changes with a cost just to see..... They quoted me €1182.98 hahahahaha are they SERIOUS!!!

Over all the WORST EVER CUSTOMER SERVICE..... I'll NEVER EVER FLY WITH THEM.... EVER!!!

Appalling website. They haven’t got their act together in 10 years. Won’t allow payment section to load on smart phone or laptop. Despicable offering. Run by total charlatans.

Flight from Heathrow was delayed which would have resulted in us missing our two onward connections.
Despite us having checked in Etihad insisted it was our travel agents responsibility to rearrange flights. They offered absolutely no assistance.
I believe Etihad make it as difficult as possible to complain and seek compensation - they don't respond to messages and seem to employ ongoing delaying tactics. Their customer service is abysmal.
We will never ever fly with them again.

Waiting for connecting flight from Johannesburg to London Heathrow. Waiting for 19 hours at AbuDhabi Airport. Too, long

I have read quite a few negative reviews here and I can now see that the negative experience and appalling customer service has now become common with Etihad airways. I wish I had read the reviews before booking. I had relied on previous pleasant experiences with Etihad airlines 9 years ago and I regret this.
I wish there was a way for dissatisfied customers to come together and file a class action lawsuit as customer rights are being violated by this airline.
This airline will even cancel your flights mid journey and say that they want to give you a refund five months after ticket purchase when you are already in transit and ticket prices are at their peak.

I bought return tickets from Birmingham to Nairobi on 29/02/2024.

Our flight with Etihad Airways left London Heathrow on 7th August to Abu Dhabi and we had a 4 day stop over under the Etihad free stopover package.

We were issued 96 hour transit visa sponsored by Etihad Airways on 8th July. This was on the basis that we had a valid ticket to leave Abu Dhabi and we have a valid ticket to Nairobi. We arrived in Abu Dhabi on 7th August and stayed 4 days as per the stopover package with 2 free nights.

On 11/08/2024 we were unable to check in our flight from Abu Dhabi to Nairobi because apparently the flight is non existent. We came to the airport were asked to cancel our tickets to receive a refund.

We were also informed that we were sent emails informing us that flights were cancelled. The call centre also asked us to cancel our tickets while we were at the airport mid journey on 11/08/2024 . We were already in Abu Dhabi with children, having left London on 7th August with Etihad airlines on the booking which was apparently cancelled and we were never informed but this was not their concern.

I had never received an email saying that my flight had been cancelled, my itinerary on the app shows all the legs of my flight. If my flight was cancelled, how were we able to check in online and travel from London to Abu Dhabi on that booking? How were we issued a transit visa for 96 hours?

How is it possible for Etihad to transport passengers from London to Abu Dhabi, sponsor the transit visa on 8th July which can only be done on the basis of a valid ticket leaving Abu Dhabi, and then ask us to cancel our ticket to receive a refund in the middle of the journey? How was the visa issued for without an onward valid ticket from Abu Dhabi? And we had a valid ticket despite their claims.

We were also traveling with children and am unwell and had to have wheelchair assist from London Heathrow. I requested for the wheel chair assist on 9th July on the Etihad online chat and this was confirmed on the chat that wheelchair assist was added to my booking. Again even at this point, nobody said that my flight was cancelled or tickets were invalid.

The treatment we have received is quite shocking and no one has been able to show us an email saying that our flight was cancelled. Even in the event of flight cancellations, aren't airlines supposed to offer you an alternative flight.
After much back and forth with Etihad airlines call centre and airport staff, while standing at the airport customer service counter for hours, we were finally offered an alternative. The alternative flight leaves more than 24 hours after our original flight, and arrives on 13th August. Our initial flight was due arrive at 1305 on 11/08/2024.
We appreciate the staff on the ground who tried their best in what seems to be a broken system. We were offered no care, no water or food or accommodation and we are traveling with three children and an invalid.

It's unfortunate that one cannot give reviews below 1 because my experience is -15 or lower.

I have used several airlines before but Etihad Airways is the worse airline, too much delays and technical issues it took them almost 1 hour to land the plane which traumatised the children
Never use them again

What can I say?

Plane was delayed in Heathrow for 1 hour, but I missed my connecting flight to Manila and had to wait in the Abu Dhabi airport for approximately 20 hours for the next flight.

Were food and accommodation offered? No. In fact, I had to beg for it because Mobarak, the guest services team lead at the airport was reluctant to provide these basic essentials.

Have I complained about it? Yes
Have I received a response? No

Decent airline with a budget airline level of customer service.

We were delayed for 3.5 when returning from the Maldives, we therefore missed our connecting flight to Heathrow from Abu Dhabi. Since returning i have sent several emails, written letters and made several phone calls. We have not heard anything from them apart from bounce back emails saying they have been deleted without being read. We are now nearly 4 months down the line and not a word.
I will definitely avoid Etihad in future, the service we have recieved is disgusting!