Etihad Airways Reviews 

Probably the worst airline customer service i've ever had the displeasure of dealing with. They will do ANYTHING to keep compensation from you, even if you're entitled to it.

I have flown Etihad numerous times and it's always hit and miss as to whether you get a nice plane, or a rubbish plane, yet the airfares stay just as high.

Exposed wiring on controllers, tops of armrests coming off, seats which do not stay reclined, no inflight entertainment, seats with missing padding meaning the bottom of the edge of the seat dug into my thighs for 8+hours (i'm 8.3st fyi)... the list goes on.
Lastly, we are given a letter when returning from UAE to Manchester, stating that we will all receive 10,000 airmiles as an apology for a faulty inflight system, all we need to do is email a complaint and have an Etihad Guest ID, easy right? WRONG! They will send a confirmation email for YOU to respond to, which will either go straight into your junk or not at all, then they MIGHT compensate you when you choose between 100USD (???) OR 10,000 airmiles....why not just add it on to the guest account number?!?!?!?

For an airline which prides itself on how good it is, it's anything but.

Disgraceful

I purchased my Etihad flight ticket through Bravofly. Who are basically ripping people off. Why are Etihad allowing these scammers to sell their products. I'm out of pocket by £550. Etihad shouldn't allow these unscrupulous companies to sell their products

The worst airline, definitely to avoid!
We paied for economy comfort class and booked specially extra leg room seats, but when we boarded, our seats have been changed and as a couple, we were even seperated!
We claimed refund, but the Ethihad said we had to wait for 30 days, then 45 days, then after over 2 months of waiting, still no answer!
We called customer service again, and the only thing they can tell us is to wait !

Never give them your Passport, under any Circumstances.

Irresponsible & Dirty Liars.

No Refunds

Known wrongfully Charges, but as they said "They dont have to pay but let them wait here(Counter Area over 10 Hours) so they will comprimise"

Worse Airline ever. Don't even fly on this. Charging for seats fair enough once selected confirmed and paid different allocations on boarding passes
No honour. Begging is better than this. NOT Family friendly at all.

The worst experience with an airline ever.

They canceld our flight without any E-mails or calls. Custumer service is on available. We had to wait 22 hours on Manilla airport without a refund or anything. Booked new tickets dor 800 euro’s. How the hell is this company the 5th best airline in the world. They suck.

My family and I had an awful experience. Etihad charged us AU$580.12 for seats I never authorized, then canceled both my flights and left me with no assigned seat. No compensation for the cancellation either. I’ve tried to contact them, but it’s impossible to get a response. Absolutely unacceptable service! Never flying with them again.

I am really disappointed with Etihad Airways. I have been trying to resolve an issue for over a month, but customer service only gives me evasive answers and keeps asking me to get back to them later - without anything happening.

Emails are simply ignored and the solutions offered are unworkable. The website also has technical issues that make the process even more complicated. My flight is imminent, but I get no support whatsoever.

Such poor service is absolutely unacceptable - this was definitely my last booking with Etihad!

I paid $25 for a full flight Wi-Fi service and did not get access to the service. I told the Flight Steward Hisham about it, he was kind to ask me to write to customer service and get a refund. Over the last three months, I've been writing to customer service, and I have written 25 emails and the final response is below. Etihad Airways believes that all problems created on the flight are due to suppliers, be it Airbus, Boeing Viasat, and is willing to provide us the customer service contacts at Boeing Airbus and ViaSat for getting our issues sorted… shame on you Etihad Airways for shirking responsibility

Case Reference: 2502024608330
Date: 19 March 2025

Dear Mr Narayanan,

Thank you for your response. My team and I have looked into the facts and assessed everything thoroughly.

However, as the internet service onboard is provided by Viasat which is our third party and they are in a better position to address this concern.

We assure you that your feedback has been gratefully noted and shared with the Guest Experience Department for internal review.
 
On behalf of Etihad Airways, we would like to thank you for writing and for allowing us the opportunity to review your concerns.

Yours sincerely,

Anshu
Guest Relations

Etihad Airways
New Airport Road, Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Etihad.com
-------------

My Flight EY379 for 09:00 on sat 15/03 was first delayed to 11:00, then after several hours after 11 am, when passengers chased the staff for updates, eventually around 1 pm we found out it is cancelled.
There were no announcements just you could see people running from one side of the building to the other so we would follow, it was not managed at all. Finally we got on flight EY377 to Abu Dhabi @ 19:10 for connection flight to LHR, we had 4 hrs waiting instead of the original 2 hrs.
Funny thing we are not even entitled for compensation, after paying all that money.
What was meant to be a nice romantic/relaxing break in Maldives, ended in horror. Came home feeling sick of the whole day experience, being stranded in airports for 24 hrs, still sick and stuck in bed.
Will never book anything on Etihad again.

Instead, after purchasing an expensive Etihad flight (I’ve been a Platinum member for about 11 years), I found myself on a low-cost @wamosair aircraft—without comfort, Wi-Fi, and extremely outdated.

This is totally unacceptable.

£150 to choose 2 seats together and unannounced £1200 baggage fee for 2 cases. Absolute robbers!!!

Absolutely appalling customer service and never call you back or deliver on promises. Agents lie that they will resolve it and so many hoops to jump through to get your money back. Will never fly with them again. Zero integrity and will be blocked every step of the way from
Escalating a complaint!

Booking Business Class tickets on Etihad from Larnaca via Bahrain, via Abu Dhabi then onto Colombo in Sri Lanka, arriving at the airport we were informed we were not booked in despite having booked and paid for these tickets at least 3 months beforehand. After two hours waiting at the desk we were told we could board, upon arriving in Bahrain we waited one and a half hours to obtain our passes onto Abu Dhabi and Colombo. When returning first week in January we called Etihad who informed us we were again not booked despite having papers to state otherwise, their agent informed us he could book us a plane 4 days later, I stated we had to get back to work and we were travelling in business class, he still insisted there were no flights available for another 4 days, after one and a half hours on this call from Sri Lanka to Abu Dhabi that cost me over 100 euro, I cancelled the return trip and booked with Emirates. Etihad service was non existent, they treated us like they did not care and I am still awaiting a reply reference my complaint nearly a month ago. Thanks Etihad for destroying my Christmas holiday. Derek Timm.

I am writing this review regarding the unsatisfactory service I received from one of call centre representatives on January 29, 2025.
I am an Etihad Guest member and purchased a return ticket for my journey from London Heathrow to Islamabad and from Jeddah to London Heathrow on December 19, 2024, with booking reference TYUOMD and ticket number 607-9594160959-60. As a 66-year-old passenger, I opted for extra legroom seats for my outbound journey (Seat 41K) and return journey (Seat 31K), paying £79.80 for each seat. A copy of the receipt is attached.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to change my travel dates. My outbound flight will now be on May 28, 2025, from London Heathrow to Islamabad, and my return journey will be on June 23, 2025, from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow.
Given the significant cost of changing my ticket, I decided to cancel my extra legroom seats in the hopes of receiving a refund of £159.60, which I intended to use for other travel expenses. However, when I contacted your UK office at 12:16 PM today, I was informed by your representative that these charges are non-refundable. This information was not disclosed at the time of my original booking, and I was shocked to hear this.
Moreover, I was offered the option to transfer the amount I paid for the cancelled seats to similar extra legroom seats for my new travel dates. I reluctantly agreed. However, I was subsequently assigned seats priced at £72.20 each, which is lower than the £79.80 I originally paid. Extremely disappointed with very poor customer service.

I am writing to voice my dissatisfaction with my recent Etihad Airways travel experience. Because of this incident, I have been greatly affected both mentally and physically. I was forced to stay awake for over 24 hours due to having to take extra flights, multiple planes being delayed at several airports and so on.
1st Delay of Flight from Heathrow:

On December 10th, my flight from London Heathrow T4 to Abu Dhabi EY-62 was somewhat delayed at departure from London, causing me to miss my connecting flight to (CCU) Kolkata EY-220 from Abu Dhabi. This interruption not only delayed my trip plans, but also resulted in me being rebooked on a different airline (Air India), which did not provide the kind of service I had initially paid for. Air India is notoriously reputed for their customer service. I could have taken an Air India flight from London instead, which would have cost less and had greater luggage limits than Etihad. However, I picked Etihad due to their exceptional customer service and my past experience with them. I flew this identical flight last year, in 2023, from London to Kolkata via Abu Dhabi. And I was quite pleased with Etihad's attention and service last year.

This year, however, has been a complete 180. After landing in Abu Dhabi, I had to wait in line for 30 minutes for someone to attend to me. The Ground Staff waited 15 minutes to clear me from the counter. Initially, he informed me that I would have to wait for my Visa to be processed before I could go, but on the way to the transfer desks, a staff member handed me a boarding pass for my next flight. After showing him an email I had received for the same, he had to call another colleague, and I was cleared. This amount of disconnect amongst your teams is not acceptable.

2nd Delay of Flight from Abu Dhabi:

Furthermore, my Air India flight AI-2256 from Abu Dhabi to Bombay was delayed at Abu Dhabi. This created a very short schedule for transiting from Bombay airport to Kolkata. And thus, due to the flight delay from Abu Dhabi, I missed my third-unwanted flight from Bombay to Kolkata. I had to wait for an additional 6 hours at Bombay Airport due to a series of delays that began in London Heathrow.

3rd Delay of Flight from Bombay:

Again, even for the last flight for me which was from Bombay to Kolkata, the same got delayed by 40 Minutes. Before this I never knew that I had so much endurance within me.

This incident not only created significant difficulty, but it also reduced the value of my trip experience.

I expected at least an upgrade, but I received no compensation, was transferred to a lower-rated airline without my agreement, was detained in economy when I should have received a Business class ticket, and was then given a Dinner coupon to eat anything from the food court (Only 3 Vendor options). Do you honestly believe a Meal Deal can compensate for everything I went through? Such disdain for your passenger, whose flight was missed owing to your airline's error? Is this where Etihad has gotten to today?

Because of the delay at Heathrow:

I missed the Connecting flight to Kolkata from Abu Dhabi.

I missed the Connecting flight to Kolkata from Bombay.

I had to take 3 flights instead of 2.

I had to check-in my luggage twice instead of once.

The connecting flight airline was booked without my consent.

I lost hours which kept me away from my home.

All of the flights that I took got delayed. All 3 of them.

I had to stay at Bombay airport for over 6 hours without any food or lounge access.

I had to stay awake for more than 24 hours.

My Paid Holiday hours were wasted.

And also, it caused me a lot of stress mentally and physically

I was expected to arrive in Kolkata at 2:55 a.m., but instead arrived at 5:00 p.m. I am asking for appropriate and deserving compensation for this 15-hour delay.

Given the delay and subsequent decrease in service, I feel it is appropriate to request at least a full refund of the overall ticket cost, because if the original delay at Heathrow hadn't occurred, I would have been home by now, surprising my parents. My entire plan to surprise them failed, causing me a great deal of stress and anxiety.

Etihad Confirmation Number: SPPZNT

Expedia Itinerary: 729185****2045

For the past 2 months, I have been trying to get in touch with Expedia, as Etihad clearly mentioned that Expedia needs to initiate my refund, and then only can they process it from their end. But then Expedia says the same thing, I need to go to the Airline for the Refund. Which is a valid point, the Airline delayed the flights, the Travel agent doesn't control the flights, it is the Airline which does. For 2 months Etihad has been playing this cat and mouse game with me. I reached out to them in every way possible. After I posted on Twitter X and tagged them they reached out to me and requested if I can speak on DM and not in public. Shame!

I have put off writing this review as I wanted to give Ethiad the benefit of the doubt, but it has now been 3 months with no resolution, or any further action carried out in my case. In October I was flying back from the Philippines and was given only an hour by Ethiad for a change over which made me anxious anyway in case of any delays, but they reassured me it would be fine. Whilst waiting for my flight I could see there was a delay in boarding as they changed aircraft so had to issue all new boarding passes, which again did not bother me these things happen, but I just highlighted to the staff about my change over and again they reassured me it was fine. Throughout the flight I was on edge the whole time as we had taken off late and I just knew I wasn't going to make my connecting flight, but kept making sure the cabin crew knew, and it still didn't seem to be a problem but obviously we landed late, and I completely missed my connecting flight and after 20 hours of travelling I was distraught, but went to try and sort it out with the Ethiad staff who were really kind, but gave me no resolution and I had to pay £300 for a new flight to get home. I raised this case in October following the process Ethiad said to follow to get a refund. I have been messaging them on instagram as it seems like the easiest form of contact nowadays and for 3 months I have been getting the same copy and pasted replies. I have now started calling Ethiad which the customer service team have been lovely, but when I said my case number, they explained that nothing had been done for my case and both times I have rang the helpful customer service team, have supposedly emailed across to the claims team, but I have heard nothing still! I purposely paid a considerable extra amount to fly with Ethiad as they are a premium airline, but the customer experience I have had with them has been awful. £300 is alot of money to some people especially when it wasn't your fault for missing a flight! I just want to get this case resolved and to be refunded

I wish I had read these reviews before.
They are a budget airline that charge premium price.
If you going Abu Dhabi take a budget airline it might take 3/4 hours longer with one stop off.
But will cost u less then half the price.
and still get you there before eithad with better service.
It’s crazy to think uae actual allows this company to register in the land.

Diabolical airline with zero respect for their customers treat, who keep them in employment.
Complete contempt for customers with valid complaints about luggage damages, illness, consequential losses, ie missed connection due to delay.
How are they still operating?
People need to see these reviews before booking.
A group legal action is needed by those complaining on here about losses, no point complaining they don’t care to read these reviews, obviously no interested in how to learn about improving their business model .
So don’t waste your energy complaining on here waiting for something to happen.
Take legal action and recoup your losses, boycott !

beware of been downgraded to a wet lease Wamos Air flight with etihad abu dhabi to manila. they know the vast majority of the filipino passengers will just accept it
no offer of extra legroom no usb on the seats, inferior inflight entertainment the . wamos air crew are beyond belief arrogant and rude and etihad dont give a toss . the online staff even lied saying we would be refunded the difference bewtween what we paid for and what we got . utter joke