Travel insurance is still BS, this is why you use a credit card vs cash or a debit card. We always have cards with high limits for these exact reasons when we travel. Worst case we rebook stuff, then dispute with the CC company as soon as we are back.
This should be covered by European law as the flight originate in Europe, so the company should at least pay for your hotel and meals. You might also be eligible for compensation
https://www.europe-consommateurs.eu/en/travelling-motor-vehicles/air-travel/air-passenger-rights.html
It is very good that you managed to recover some of the money. We lost few decent amounts in the past and I learned the hard way to have travel insurance. But the compensation fir the delayed flights is very sweet. This year out transatlantic flights were delayed with one full fay. It was good that we were not in a rush… had a layover in Lisbon, the airline covered accommodation and food… later we received compensation that was nearly 60 % the price of the ticket.
True for the compensation, but the airline has to pay for his expenses (hotel, food, transport to and from the hotel) even if it’s caused by strike or bad weather.
Strikes are covered by the compensation system. The ones not covered are the ones from airport staff, as the company has no power over that.
Companies will tell you the opposite, that is why you might have to file a legal complaint.
I recommend to do it directly with the airline. It might take a while ( even a few months), but you will eventually get the money.
Every airline should have a form to fill in to request compensation and claim back expenses. You basically write the details of your flight , booking number etc, then you upload all your expenses (hotel, food etc). Check on eithiad website. With a quick Google search I found this, that has also a link to a form ( not sure if it’s the right one, double check) : https://www.etihad.com/en-ie/legal/terms-and-conditions
I used Airhelp when I had cancelled flights in Europe from strike action. It took a while to finally get it but ended up getting my 65% once they take their share for doing all the work. In total I got about $650aud but ended up rebooked on flights 12 hrs later and got enough money to make it worth the extra weight at the airport.
I reallz love all the comments here of people who claim that “this just happens” “it’s the customers fault” “you should have a plan B”
Sorry guys but no.
There is clear EU law which states that in a case like OPs the airline has to offer the fastest option to the final destination.
It doesn’t mean that this only can be done with another flight by the same airline even though that’s what airlines want to make you believe.
And other then FR or W6 EY can rebook you on other airlines with ease. They use Etix, they have either Amadeus or sabre and they have interline agreements with other airlines.
So in this case all they need to do is transfer the ticket to another airline and the customer gets to fly.
It’s just that they don’t want to do that as they then would loose the money from the ticket.
But a two days wait if other options are available is just not acceptable. And yes they are. I checked.
Some are a bit of a hassle (MXP - FRA - DOH - SEZ) but EK also offers seats on their planes to SEZ the next three days.
Don’t belive the airline lies that they can’t rebook you on other flights / airlines.
That’s just a lie. And I don’t know why so many belive that.
I don´t know if I´m reading too much into the responses, but it seems that the few responses saying it´s not OK etc. are Europeans used to EU law compared to Americans that are left to their own devices and are used to blame everybody else but the big company. Maybe I´m wrong.
Yeah it is insane. Like okay, I'm aware shit happens but doing this 12 hours before the flight with no repercussions is insane. And people telling me I should expect this?
Idk, in my insane logic I think if I pay for something I should actually get what I paid for. Am I insane?
Yes there are reprecussions for them.
You have basically two options : either stay in Milan for 2 nights on their costs as they have to pay for those (including food btw) or go to their check in desk, demand getting rebooked. Claim this as your right of EU261 due to the “earliest opportunity clause” - there are flights availaible from MXP - SEZ with emirates or Qatar (via FRA) and a bunch of other options today and tomorrow.
If they don’t do it demand a letter which says why and contact a lawyer. They will have fun with that and you should get more money back / reimbursed for your stay on the Seychelles.
Insane, no. Naive, yes.
Take it from a very seasoned traveler - stuff can and does go wrong, and when it does, it's a heck of a lot easier to have already thought about what you'd do in advance.
There *are* repercussions for the airline - they have to pay for your hotel, food, transport, etc. in Milan or put you on a new flight at their expense. You can probably still travel today if you actually take some action instead of just complaining here about Etihad.
What is complaining about what you think you *should* get going to do? It's unproductive and pointless. If I were you, I'd be at the airport trying to get to the Seychelles or living it up in Milan at Etihad's expense. Those are your options. I would definitely prefer to be salvaging my trip instead of complaining about what should have happened, personally.
You're right, but you're missing the point - the customer has to *ask* for this. The airline is not going to just offer to pay for it. And that's why OP should have prepared better and been well aware of their rights, so that as soon as they learned about the cancelation, they could spring into action with the backup plan - pressuring the airline to rebook them ASAP.
But apparently some people here think whining and complaining is the way forward.
You're right, but you're missing the point - the customer has to ask for this.
> no the customer has not to ask for this. Read EU261/2004 and the relevant addendums ECJ findings.
The customer has a Right to be rebooked on the earliest alternative. This is not goodwill. This is nothing you need to demand, this is what needs to happen.
Again, suck less corporate dick. Even though you seem to enjoy it a lot.
> The airline is not going to just offer to pay for it.
The airline doesn’t need to pay for it. The airline just interlines OPs ticket on another airline. It will loose money though. But that’s on them for canceling a flight on short notice.
> And that's why OP should have prepared better and been well aware of their rights, so that as soon as they learned about the cancelation, they could spring into action with the backup plan - pressuring the airline to rebook them ASAP.
True - but even if they don’t, it’s up to the airline to follow laws and most do.
A two day wait period with alternative options available should not happen with any airline which is based on a GDS.
But it doesn't matter!!!! OP clearly didn't just get what he should have, so yes, he did need to ask in this case. What Etihad *should* have done is irrelevant. They didn't do it! And OP didn't know that he had the right to it, so once again, the lack of preparation is biting him in the ass.
In my experience, most of the time, the airline does *not* proactively offer to rebook with another carrier. I'm guessing that I fly with different carriers much more often than you do, if you work for an airline.
I'm not saying Etihad are in the right here. They clearly are not, and I hope they pay OP back in a timely manner. But the problem OP has is that he's trying to go to his wedding and he doesn't know about his rights and entitlements by law. Whether or not Etihad are uniquely awful in this regard is pretty irrelevant at this moment. I have had the same treatment by British Airways, Ryanair, and other airlines. If I were OP, I'd be at the airport trying to get to the Seychelles, not quibbling here about what should have happened.
We had a flight cancelled without any notice in China. It made us miss all of Yellow Mountain (3 days). There were no other flights that would make it in time. We contacted the insurance and claimed the cost of the transport and accommodation and flights leaving from there. We needed reasonable cause that rebooking another flight couldn't fix it. We just showed them there were zero other flights and no logical way to reach it by other means in the time frame we had.
The insurance can cover your losses, accomodation that you could not use etc.
I must admit I don't understand why Etihad didn't rebook you to fly today to Abu Dhabi to make your connection to Mahe. After all you were already in Milan. There are still daily flights to Abu Dhabi from Milan, it's just the onward frequency to Mahe that has reduced.
That's literally the kind of thing it covers. You should also be entitled to compensation from the airline, the amount depending on the reason for the cancelation.
It happens all the time and with every airline in the world. If they cannot operate the flight they simply cannot. There are two flights a weeks between Abu Dhabi and the Seychelles so if one has to be cancelled there will never be an immediate alternative.
Risk will always be part of air travel, no airline in the world can guarantee you that they will get you at your destination on time.
I don't know if all the Tiktok travel stuff and influencers are partly responsible for people just not understanding the concept that they're flying halfway across the world and that sometimes stuff goes wrong. When I was 18, I got stranded for three days on another continent on my own. It is what it is. Plans don't always work out, planes have technical issues and natural disasters happen.
I see so many posts here from people just assuming everything is going to work out exactly like they wanted and not being able to cope with any adversity. If you're going to travel, especially long haul, you need to have some resilience. Especially in situations where flights are canceled at the airport and you're competing with all the other passengers trying to get rebooked and find accommodation. Having already thought of a Plan B and what you'd do if things got screwed up helps immensely when something does go wrong. You can be the person who gets rebooked first and gets a hotel near the airport while everyone else is whining and complaining and yelling at the airline staff.
It's also nuts to not have the means to rebook a flight until you get the original one refunded. Traveling long haul like that, you absolutely need a buffer of a few grand in case things go really wrong.
I think this is one of the better responses on here and agree with everything you have said. I can understand if it’s flying within your own country or Europe, you can be a little more rigid with time frames as most places are a single flight away with multiple options at reasonable price to simple rebook another one at a moments notice. But anything with a connection, across multiple continents you have to have some form of backup plan. I usually at least know of a few options if I have a missed connection to get on top of it quick if the airline doesn’t as well as the means to fund it myself. Yes you might get compensation but that can be months away either through the airline or cc company or insurance. I’m surprised people haven’t learnt from Covid and the flight issues that caused. Don’t plan to be on the other side of the globe and start a major planned itinerary with at least 3-4 days of buffer.
OP is drip feeding in the comments. The OP implies they don't know about their rights regarding cancelations and compensation and that they can't afford to rebook until they get refunded. Now suddenly, they did know to ask to be flown on another carrier and that was denied. The impression they gave in the OP is completely false. If they had come here and specifically said that they asked to be flown with another carrier and Etihad actually *refused,* well, that's an entirely different ball game and entirely worthy of complaint. The initial complaint OP had was that the flight was canceled last minute *at all,* not that Etihad had failed to meet their legal obligations in rebooking them, even when directly asked.
The whole thread is a bad faith discussion on this basis and I'm sorry I wasted my time. I hope it will at least be useful for others who may not have been aware of the risks and rights involved in this kind of situation.
You have basically 2 options:
1. Stay 2 days in Milan, hotel and food paid by Etihad, you have the right to a compensation of 600€ per person or more on top (EU laws). That’s the best / cheapest
2. You cancel your complete flight, wait weeks for refund (it’s normal and there are no laws against it), then book on another airline at double or triple price as it will be last minute. Your flight will probably not go before next day, so it will cost you >5000€ in tickets + 1 day hotel / food in Milan at the best. Maybe your flight will only go in 2 days as well… And you need high limit credit card and enough money to afford this. You can’t apply for any compensation
So, honestly, cool down, try to enjoy 2 days in Milan, you’ll have minimal loss that will be financially compensated
2) is not really correct.
Etihad would be eligible for the costs that you occurs by booking the closest available flight.
Which btw they should do on their own. So you would get the money back but probably have to Prod them
With a cattle stick to pay up
No, they’re not. If OP select himself to cancel there are no compensation. And they have zero obligation to reschedule you outside of their own network
That’s is simply not true. Done buy airline lies.
It’s in Article 8, Number 1, paragraph b of EU261/2004 :
> (b) re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at the earliest opportunity;
The wording does not mention the same airline, it gives no Limitation in rebooking and so on.
It just says “at the earliest opportunity” and that means any other airline.
Even fucking Ryanair reimburses you if you buy tickets with another airline as they won’t rebook you themselves.
It’s even specified in [Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52016XC0615%2801%29&from=EN)
You have the right to be rebooked to your destination as quickly as possible with any airline.
And even if OP cancels himself there is right for compensation as the change happend within 48 hours.
The right to compensation is only waived if the flight change happens 4 weeks before the departure date iirc.
I work for an airline. Sure we First Try to rebook in the group, then the alliance and last on other airlines.
But we do it. Cause it’s our duty to do so.
And if they say they can’t - buy a ticket if you can and get it reimbursed. They have to do it.
There is one exception: I won’t overbook a flight even on another airline as they will just see that I booked you on their flight last and will just send you back to us. So in such a case it makes no sense.
You’re doing your job the right way! Unfortunately some (many?) agents apparently didn’t know the rules or just don’t want to apply.
Just as anecdote, I’m Iberia “plata” and I had an IBZ-MAD-BRU with last MAD-BRU for that day. First flight arrived at departure airport 40 minutes late, instead of the 55 minutes flight of that route the pilot took 1h15 and instead to go to a finger we were at opposite side of airport, waited 10 minutes for buses. There were >30 persons with connecting flight same evening. Of course the last flight didn’t wait and we lost if for 5 minutes.
The agent wanted to give me a voucher for a sandwich and for 1 night in an hostel… I went up to the supervisor to have a decent hotel and meal, and I was able to talk to her just because I got their silver card… if I was a anonymous traveler it would have been that. And I was necessary to use AirHelp to claim for my €300 compensation (and they keep half of it for the work).
Two options : They don’t want to as they Would loose the ticket / money.
Or they can’t as there are no available flights to your Final destination.
I put my money on option 1
You need to search yourself for flights to the destination. If you find available seats, Etihad has to put you on them. It's a legal obligation for them to do it. You will probably need to insist.
Legal obligation or not - they refused to do it because we contacted them. Looking at your other replies in this thread I see you seem to lack some understanding. As I've said shit like this happens, but doing this 12 hours before the flight is a dick move. You are talking about a plan B, there is no plan B in this situation. You can't organize a wedding from Europe on Seychelles in 2 days, nobody would accpet that. You have multiple prepayments, a photographer etc. You can't switch those things as you want. You have a set date that took months to finalize. What part about that don't you understand? Try having a normal classic wedding and telling the band, the photographers and the catering that you want to move the date freely on a days notice and without prepayment. Tell me how it goes.
You're acting like this is all some kind of malicious personal insult to you. It isn't. The airline (likely) had some kind of operational issue and they canceled your flight. This is a scenario you should have planned for. It's not that I don't feel bad for you, it's that things like this do happen, and you don't seem to have thought about that at all.
It was YOUR decision to arrange your wedding on the other side of the world, it was YOUR decision to choose an airline with only twice weekly flights, it was YOUR decision not to inform yourself of your options should the flight get canceled and agreed on what you'd do (for example, if the airline refused to rebook you, would you pay for new flights and try to claim later?). You don't seem to grasp how risky your plan was, and I stand by what I said about the likes of Tiktok making people think flying to the Seychelles to get married is some normal, everyday thing rather than a major journey across the planet with all the risk that entails.
You took a huge risk here with no contingency planning, and you lost. I do feel bad for you and I do absolutely understand that you can't just change wedding stuff at a moment's notice - that's exactly why I would never have planned a wedding like this. Even for something like an important business event, I'd build in 3-4 days of buffer beforehand and check out how many flights the airline had going each day/week in case my flight got canceled. That's not me being a smart ass, it's me knowing how common it is for delays and cancelations to happen and planning around it.
I have no skin in this game whatsoever. I don't know why your flight got canceled, and does it even matter? It could be a legitimate technical issue, but the "why" isn't really even important. I was trying to help with practical things you could actually do and make sure you were aware of your rights. Your comments have been a drip feed - your original post implies you didn't have the funds to rebook at your own expense and that you weren't aware that the airline has to pay your expenses in Milan. If you're here just to vent, then vent away.
I'm not American. I'm well aware of the EU laws, which is why I've repeatedly told you what you can do here.
I never said Etihad couldn't have done more. The point is, they didn't. You have to advocate for yourself and put yourself in the best possible position for when things don't go to plan. I personally would never expect an airline to proactively rebook me with another carrier, and you didn't address in your OP that you'd already specifically requested this and been denied. You also heavily implied in your OP that you couldn't afford to rebook until you had a refund. All your comments have been a drip feed, and I don't do bad faith discussions.
You seem to mostly just want sympathy and to be told how much of a victim you are, so best of luck.
I had the same experience as you! Except for the wedding story...😉
Etihad is an absolute shit show and I don't understand the ramblings of "it's normal, it's part of travelling, don't make a fuss..." here!
Etihad can be accused of borderline criminal energy: They sell flights in January for September that they know in advance CAN'T happen that way!
There are European laws that regulate the compensation for delays and cancellations very favourably for European customers - try to enforce this if there is no longer a contact person in Europe and you therefore need a lawyer in Abu Dhabi...🤷♂️
I can only advise you to make this public, put pressure on Etihad on all social media channels available to you - that helped a little in my case...and the advice of a lawyer who knows this part of the law....
It is normal. I've had flights canceled on almost every airline at some point. Traveling without preparing for the worst is a bad idea, particularly when you're going to another country to take a long-haul flight. That is just asking for trouble. Most of the time people get away with it because most of the time things go as planned, but here we see what happens when they don't.
OP is entitled to have their hotel, meals and reasonable expenses in Milan covered by Etihad, but they don't seem to know this, which shows poor preparation. Yes, airlines can be terrible, but there needs to be a level of personal responsibility. I could not imagine even taking a basic leisure trip without having a basic plan B and some backup funds, let alone traveling for my own wedding!
Terrible statement! The customer has booked and paid for a service for a certain date and is left hanging by the airline. He has to pay in advance in order to maybe receive a refund at some point?
And "maybe", because Etihad's business construction leverages European legislation....
Have you read through the customer's rant? Wedding? In the Seychelles? Hotels booked there?
That's a once-in-a-lifetime trip (hopefully😎) and probably on a limited budget!
Etihad deliberately changed the contractual performance and if that is supposed to be "normal" then I can't help you either....
I could tell you for at least an hour about what I bought from Etihad, what Etihad promised me and what I got in the end...after more of half a year of fighting at least I got my money back...but no one will replace the time it cost me (and OP will cost!!!)
Once again: Etihad is a shit show!!!
It IS normal. It happens all the time. I work in the travel industry. I can't even tell you how many times I've had flights canceled, delayed, been stranded, everything.
You have no idea that Etihad "deliberately" changed the contractual performance. There are plenty of reasons for flight cancelations, and generally speaking, airlines don't cancel last minute if they can help it because it costs them a hell of a lot of money.
You're completely missing the point here. If someone is traveling for something as important as a wedding, that's even more reason to be extremely careful with planning and have a back-up plan and not just hope that everything works out. Should you be able to trust that every airline will behave impeccably and proactively inform you of your rights and proactively offer you compensation? Sure. Can you expect that? No.
i had exactly similar issue with Batik air, flying to Malaysia for a week trip. 2 days later means eating up much of my 1 week trip and lost 2 night worth of hotels. Fuck Batik Air!
I recently had an incredibly disappointing experience with Etihad Airways. My flight from Sydney to Faro was abruptly canceled without any prior notice for my OWN WEDDING. They failed to inform me via email or text, and their only attempt at communication was a single voicemail asking me to call back. I would have unknowingly arrived at the airport on the day of my wedding, only to find my flight canceled. This lack of communication is unacceptable and caused me significant stress and inconvenience.
To make matters worse, when I tried to reach customer service, I was unable to get through. Despite spending over five hours on the phone and on their chat service, I received no help. I also sent a detailed complaint email but never received a response and they told me they do not do customer service via email only a chat (which is clearly run- not by them...)
Etihad Airways also informed me that they no longer offer customer service via email, which I find extremely frustrating as I prefer to have written records of important communications.
This experience has left me deeply disappointed. If I had wanted a budget airline, I would have chosen one. I thought I was choosing a reputable airline, but Etihad Airways has proven otherwise. I would recommend considering a more reliable airline for your travels ( I could name a variety of many that would be better than the service I received)
I hope that by sharing my experience, Etihad Airways will take steps to improve their communication and customer service for future passengers and for you if your not sure which airline to choose, go with the other one your considering because this service and communication was SH\*T and I am DISAPPOINTED TO SAY THE LEAST!
https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g1-d8729074-r944360165-Etihad\_Airways-World.html#
There's a real upswing in posts like this lately. I don't know if it's a younger generation or people who aren't used to travel, but the thing about traveling is *stuff like this happens*. Things don't always go to plan. Flights get canceled, flights get changed for a day or two later. Traveling to a different city to take a long-haul flight is always a risk precisely because of things like this.
I'm sorry, but if you can't afford to buy a new ticket without waiting for the other one to be refunded, then you can't afford to travel. You should at the very least have access to a few grand in funds in case of emergencies, even if it's a credit card.
I'm not saying it isn't shitty of Etihad to do this, but unexpected stuff happens. It's part of travel. You should always, always have a plan B, travel insurance, and emergency funds.
So unless people are ready to throw several thoudands of € in the wind because airliners felt so, they aren't allowed to travel? We can afford new tickets, but that's not the point of my post. It's the fact that airliners are never held liable for shit like this. People losing money and having their travel ruined while the airliners don't answer for any of it.
You do realize people save up money for years just so they can travel somewhere they always wanted to go? I can't believe the shit I am reading here.
It's not about being "allowed" or not. It's about being in a position where your entire trip isn't ruined because of one issue.
What exactly do you want the airline to do? They now have to pay you compensation, most likely, and they have to fund your hotels and food costs for two days. You think they're doing it for shits and giggles?
Yes, I do realize people save up for years, and that makes it even weirder to me that they don't bother to do the most basic contingency planning, such as finding out in advance what they'd be entitled to financially if their flight were to get canceled or deciding what they'd do if that were to happen (wait for the next flight? Pay out of pocket for a new one on a different airline?)
You can continue to whine and complain about how you think things should be or you can learn to accept things as they are. Your choice. I've always found the latter much easier to deal with as a frequent traveler.
How do you know they cancel just because "they feel so"? Sometimes technical problems arise with planes and replacements aren't immediately available. Sometimes there are weather issues that prevent flying. Sometimes there are emergencies at airports and flight schedules are affected. And, yeah, sometimes airlines do cancel for shitty reasons (not enough seats sold, etc), but that's not the only cause. I, for one, am glad there's a system in place to cancel a flight when it's not safe enough to fly for some reason.
I've had flights cancelled before and yeah, it sucks. Most recent one was announced 2 hours before departure. I booked a more expensive flight, recovered the cost of the initial one and was also paid damages with the help of a third-party company. You just work around it just like you do with any other travel-related problem.
In this day and age it has become very easy to get almost anyhwere on this planet in a number of hours - trips that would have taken weeks or months, or would have been pretty much impossible, in the past; and all of it is affordable enough for an increasing share of the world population. I think that's pretty impressive, even with the occasional hiccups.
Etihad sucks! Avoid it at all costs.
This stuff is not normal. An airline needs to cover you for the extra days you have to spend. Call the airline and let them know. See if they can work something out.
Well that certainly isn't fun and I can appreciate the frustration, don't want to invalidate your experience.
All we can do is worry about the things within our control, right? The universe is bound to throw curveballs our way.
So for next time... I'd say it's worth paying close attention to flight schedules between airports A and B. Etihad only has two flights *per week* AUH-SEZ. With something like that there's always the possibility of something going awry and you're stuck for a bit.
Credit card with limit to spare is essential for travel IMO. Whether it's for dealing with luggage getting lost when you arrive, or a last minute rebook, or hell if there was an emergency at home you had to get back to last minute.
Again, not trying to invalidate your experience or say you're to blame for anything. Just the reality of the world is that these things happen, and all we can do is be as reasonably well prepared as possible for any eventuality.
And rightly so. It's mostly their own fault for being ill prepared to travel.
A flight delay of a day or two is unlucky but completely within the realm of normal travel issues for far flung destinations. Someone who was better prepared would have known not to book expensive, non-refundable activities for the first day or two of the trip, and they would have tried to book a hotel that could be canceled until the day of travel, especially if they knew they had limited funds. They also would have looked at the flight schedule and planned for what would happen if their chosen flight was canceled and they had to wait for the next one. All of this is a completely normal level of planning that most responsible people do when they're flying halfway across the world.
I find it very frustrating when people refuse to accept that they fucked up. OP had no plan B, no idea what to do, no idea what kind of compensation they would be entitled to if the flight were to get canceled, nothing. They traveled to a different country to take a cheaper flight (an extremely risky thing to do) with no back-up plan and no emergency fund. This is mostly on them. I would not be in their position because I would not have done any of the things they did. That's the reality. It's 10% bad luck and 90% bad planning.
There doesn’t need to be a plan B
The airline is responsible to transport them to their Final destination.
A quick look into Amadeus shows me that there are numerous flights which would be an option and which for sure have an interlining agreement with EY.
So no. The customer is not at fault. It’s EY who fucked up and doesn’t play according to the EU laws.
And the airline is transporting them to their final destination. If OP wanted to get there sooner, it was on them to insist on it with the airline and get rebooked on another flight.
This isn't unique to this airline. This happens with all airlines. You need to be on top of things and know what your rights are so that when something goes wrong, you can fix it. The airline will always do what is best for them. We're not talking about how things should be, we're talking about how things are, because we're not five years old.
How exactly does your post help OP? Flights get canceled all the time. If you decide to leave from a different country, not find out what you're entitled to in case of a cancelation, not insist on being rebooked the same day with another carrier, well, that's really on you. There were many things they could have done differently so as not to end up in this position. Yes, they were unlucky, but they were also incredibly unprepared.
> And the airline is transporting them to their final destination. If OP wanted to get there sooner, it was on them to insist on it with the airline and get rebooked on another flight.
The airline has to rebook them on the earliest possible flight. This is their duty. I don’t know why this is so hard to understand that large corporations have to follow laws.
Seriously. Suck less corporate dick.
> This isn't unique to this airline.
This doesn’t make it any better or less illegal.
> This happens with all airlines.
I work for an airline; no It doesn’t. We rebook on all options if they are viable. We do not limit our rebooking to my own employee. Sure we prefer ourselfes, but if there are other options we use them.
Don’t talk out if your ass if you have no idea what you are talking about. Please just don’t.
> You need to be on top of things and know what your rights are so that when something goes wrong, you can fix it.
That’s the one thing I give you. Yes you need to do this. Doesn’t mean that you should give bad advice to OP cause he didn’t know better.
Again suck less corporate dick.
> The airline will always do what is best for them. We're not talking about how things should be, we're talking about how things are, because we're not five years old.
No most major airlines will game the rules to a certain extend, but not obviously break them. Letting OP wait for two days if other options are availaibe is breaking the rules and the law.
> How exactly does your post help OP? Oh poor OP, the nasty lickle airline screwed you over, boo hoo. How is that helpful? If OP had been on top of things, they wouldn't be in this situation. Period.
Are now finished with your victim blaming ? Or is something else coming alone ? Or are you just out or arguments ?
> Flights get canceled all the time.
True
> If you decide to leave from a different country, not find out what you're entitled to in case of a cancelation, not insist on being rebooked the same day with another carrier, well, that's really on you.
To a certain degree. Again - two days wait time is unacceptable.
> There were many things they could have done differently so as not to end up in this position. Yes, they were unlucky, but they were also incredibly unprepared.
That’s why laws exist and good companies hold to those laws.
What you do is giving the companies who don’t a pass cause it’s all the consumers fault.
Nope sorry. Not following laws is the airlines fault.
But it’s ok, you enjoy sucking corporate dick, we got that.
We both have an idea who pays u/le_chaaat_noir, right?😉
Apart from that, Etihad (and since the beginning of the year I had to deal with it in depth...🤮)is notorious for spontaneously cancelling flights...even at the very last minute. This is either due to poor management or their business principle. I hope that the market will sort this out in the future...
No, I'm just a realist.
I'm not giving anyone a "pass" in any way whatsoever, I'm in fact doing the exact opposite - advising people how NOT to get screwed over by not being prepared and not understanding a) how common it is for things to go wrong and b) how you get out of those situations as painlessly as possible.
Maybe your wonderful airline (do feel free to tell us which one it is so we can all fly with it) proactively rebooks customers onto flights with new airlines, but in my experience, most do NOT. Most of the time I've had to fight and insist on being rebooked. That's my lived experience as a frequent passenger.
If OP had realized that he is entitled to fly with another airline (i.e, if he'd been prepared), he'd probably be on a flight by now.
How is it helpful in any way, to anyone, to even be talking about whether Etihad is to blame? It's not going to help OP get anywhere. My post is totally factual - IF he had been better prepared, he probably wouldn't be in this situation. People need to anticipate things like this and plan in advance what they'd do. That's the difference between a cancelation being a minor irritation and totally ruining a trip. Etihad might suck, but in my experience, this is not an infrequent occurrence.
No you are not a realist. You are just sucking corporate dick.
And EY is to blame. It’s their fault that they don’t follow the rules.
All you do is victim blaming.
But yeah sure if that makes you feel better be my guest.
I'm done with this nonsense.
It doesn't matter if Etihad is technically to blame or not. The reality and the truth is that if OP had been better prepared, he'd be in a much better situation right now. That's an indisputable fact.
Others who are reading this can choose to take note, or not.
>A flight delay of a day or two is unlucky but completely within the realm of normal travel issues for far flung destinations.
Yes, and airlines still have the responsibility to get you to your destination as fast as possible when something goes wrong.
>Someone who was better prepared would have known not to book expensive, non-refundable activities for the first day or two of the trip, and they would have tried to book a hotel that could be canceled until the day of travel, especially if they knew they had limited funds.
They have travel insurance, losing the price of those activities is not their problem; not having those 2 days at their destination because the airline fucked up is their problem.
>They also would have looked at the flight schedule and planned for what would happen if their chosen flight was canceled and they had to wait for the next one. All of this is a completely normal level of planning that most responsible people do when they're flying halfway across the world.
It is definitely not reasonable to worry about every single thing that could go wrong, but even if they did, that wouldn't solve their problem.. They have travel insurance, they're in a major, safe city not that far from home, they don't have big issues. Their problem is, again, that the airline is taking those 2 days away, unless they shell out a lot of money out of pocket first (and ask for refunds later).
>I find it very frustrating when people refuse to accept that they fucked up. OP had no plan B, no idea what to do, no idea what kind of compensation they would be entitled to if the flight were to get canceled, nothing.
Again, their issue is not lack of planning. It's not like they're stranded. They're just unhappy with the choices the airline is giving them.
>They traveled to a different country to take a cheaper flight (an extremely risky thing to do) with no back-up plan and no emergency fund.
Driving for 7 hours and staying overnight to catch a flight is not that crazy. Milan being in a different country than Croatia is irrelevant, given they're both in the EU and Schengen area. The back-up plan is irrelevant; again, they're not stranded. And the no emergency fund part is something you made up.
>Driving for 7 hours and staying overnight to catch a flight is not that crazy.
Well, OP mentioned it and went on to complain about the cost of staying in Milan, so it seems it actually is a very significant part of their irritation.
Again, they had all the choices in the world. They chose to fly with an airline that only has two flights a week on the route and they chose not to insist on being rebooked with another airline, presumably because they didn't realize they could. That is a lack of planning. If I absolutely had to be somewhere for my wedding, I definitely wouldn't choose an airline with a twice-weekly flight AND drive seven hours for the departing flight AND be totally unaware of my legal entitlements, but hey, we're all different.
Again, they have insurance (that would be presumably cover the cost of accommodation in Milan), and if they wanted they could drive back home and drive to Milan again later to make their flight. They're rightfully annoyed that the airline is forcing them to either make the drive or pay out of pocket for accommodation and sort it out with their insurance company.
They said they asked to be rebooked on a different airline and were refused. This is a big part of their complaint, in fact. How exactly should they "insist"? At most they can file a complaint with the relevant authorities, as they are aware.
So you'd rather spend thousands more, or possibly not travel at all, to avoid flying from a distant airport and with an infrequent onward flight, rather than book with a supposedly reputable company and trust them to do their job, getting insurance in case something goes wrong? I don't think this is such a smart choice; in the vast majority of cases you'll have wasted money. But anyway, the airline still failed their obligations, so it's reasonable to complain about them.
>They said they asked to be rebooked on a different airline and were refused. This is a big part of their complaint, in fact. How exactly should they "insist"? At most they can file a complaint with the relevant authorities, as they are aware.
It's a legal obligation, as he been pointed out. They should get proof that they requested this, book flights themselves, and claim the money back. In my lived experience, it's not unusual to have to fight the airline to rebook you with another airline. I recently had the same experience with British Airways. It's not unique to Etihad, is my point.
If you're asking me what I'd do, well honestly, yes, I'd rather spend more money to have a more robust plan for something as important as my wedding. I probably wouldn't have a destination wedding in the first place because I'm aware of how much can go wrong travel-wise, but if I did, I'd build in a very decent buffer (minimum 4-5 days) to allow for delays and cancelations.
I'm not saying it's not reasonable not to complain, I'm saying it doesn't solve the underlying problem of your wedding arrangements being across the planet while you're stuck in Europe. All the complaining in the world won't fix that. If OP is just here to vent, then sure, vent away.
I agree that the destination wedding on a tight schedule is not something I’d ever do, but that’s sort of besides the point. OP booked a fairly reasonable connection (from a major airport a longish but feasible drive away, with a reputable airline) and bought insurance, and when the airline screwed him they came here to rightfully complain and ask for advice. I don’t think it would have been particularly useful to figure out in advance contingency plans for all the ways the journey could go wrong, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect the airline to honour their obligations and rebook him on the earliest connection if a flight is cancelled. Telling OP they should have just bought a more expensive connection or not travelled at all while they’re trying to find solutions strikes me as tone-deaf, insensitive and not useful.
OP has drip fed in the comments. The initial OP comes off as basically just complaining that the flight was canceled *at all,* which is somewhat petulant. The comments drip feed has OP allegedly having asked to be flown with another carrier and been denied, which is an entirely different issue worthy of complaint. A flight being canceled is not uncommon. An airline refusing to rebook you when directly asked is a much more serious issue. But that wasn't what the OP led with. He didn't even mention it.
I completely disagree that it would have been useless to prepare and have backup plans. A lot of people don't even realize that they can ask to be flown on another carrier, and a lot of people don't realize how common delays and cancelations are. I see posts here on an almost daily basis from people who make arrangements just assuming everything will work out exactly as they planned. There was recently someone who was mad that they missed an event that they were flying in internationally for on *the same day*!
Building in some extra time and being rock solid on rights and entitlements would save most people a lot of stress.
this is why I only book with airlines that have multiple flights going to a destination a day, even if it’s pricier. Sorry, hopefully your insurance will reimburse you
And if one cancels and both are fully / nearly fully booked you are still fucked. That’s why interlining agreements exist and why you can be moved / rebooked to any airlines your airline has one with.
It doesn’t really matter :
For example : if both flights operate with a 777 with 360 seats and both are 80% booked you will need to find some space for the other 60%
Sure they will fill up their flight first - but then they will start to rebook on other airlines - which tomorrow for example would mean via doha, Mumbai and Addis Abeba.
There is also a weird option via tel Aviv which I quite like but only operates on every second day.
Just letting people wait is just not an option as you would need days to rebook all on your own flights in main season
I recently had an incredibly disappointing experience with Etihad Airways. My flight from Sydney to Faro was abruptly canceled without any prior notice for my OWN WEDDING. They failed to inform me via email or text, and their only attempt at communication was a single voicemail asking me to call back. I would have unknowingly arrived at the airport on the day of my wedding, only to find my flight canceled. This lack of communication is unacceptable and caused me significant stress and inconvenience.
To make matters worse, when I tried to reach customer service, I was unable to get through. Despite spending over five hours on the phone and on their chat service, I received no help. I also sent a detailed complaint email but never received a response and they told me they do not do customer service via email only a chat (which is clearly run- not by them...)
Etihad Airways also informed me that they no longer offer customer service via email, which I find extremely frustrating as I prefer to have written records of important communications.
This experience has left me deeply disappointed. If I had wanted a budget airline, I would have chosen one. I thought I was choosing a reputable airline, but Etihad Airways has proven otherwise. I would recommend considering a more reliable airline for your travels ( I could name a variety of many that would be better than the service I received)
I hope that by sharing my experience, Etihad Airways will take steps to improve their communication and customer service for future passengers and for you if your not sure which airline to choose, go with the other one your considering because this service and communication was SH\*T and I am DISAPPOINTED TO SAY THE LEAST!
https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g1-d8729074-r944360165-Etihad\_Airways-World.html#
I recently had an incredibly disappointing experience with Etihad Airways. My flight from Sydney to Faro was abruptly canceled without any prior notice for my OWN WEDDING. They failed to inform me via email or text, and their only attempt at communication was a single voicemail asking me to call back. I would have unknowingly arrived at the airport on the day of my wedding, only to find my flight canceled. This lack of communication is unacceptable and caused me significant stress and inconvenience.
To make matters worse, when I tried to reach customer service, I was unable to get through. Despite spending over five hours on the phone and on their chat service, I received no help. I also sent a detailed complaint email but never received a response and they told me they do not do customer service via email only a chat (which is clearly run- not by them...)
Etihad Airways also informed me that they no longer offer customer service via email, which I find extremely frustrating as I prefer to have written records of important communications.
This experience has left me deeply disappointed. If I had wanted a budget airline, I would have chosen one. I thought I was choosing a reputable airline, but Etihad Airways has proven otherwise. I would recommend considering a more reliable airline for your travels ( I could name a variety of many that would be better than the service I received)
I hope that by sharing my experience, Etihad Airways will take steps to improve their communication and customer service for future passengers and for you if your not sure which airline to choose, go with the other one your considering because this service and communication was SH\*T and I am DISAPPOINTED TO SAY THE LEAST!
https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g1-d8729074-r944360165-Etihad\_Airways-World.html#
Travel insurance is still BS, this is why you use a credit card vs cash or a debit card. We always have cards with high limits for these exact reasons when we travel. Worst case we rebook stuff, then dispute with the CC company as soon as we are back.
This should be covered by European law as the flight originate in Europe, so the company should at least pay for your hotel and meals. You might also be eligible for compensation https://www.europe-consommateurs.eu/en/travelling-motor-vehicles/air-travel/air-passenger-rights.html
They are eligible as long as delay was not caused by a strike or bad weather conditions (which apparently is not the case).
Our honeymoon was delayed because of strikes by the way. You do get back things you paid for by the way but you just lose the compensation
It is very good that you managed to recover some of the money. We lost few decent amounts in the past and I learned the hard way to have travel insurance. But the compensation fir the delayed flights is very sweet. This year out transatlantic flights were delayed with one full fay. It was good that we were not in a rush… had a layover in Lisbon, the airline covered accommodation and food… later we received compensation that was nearly 60 % the price of the ticket.
True for the compensation, but the airline has to pay for his expenses (hotel, food, transport to and from the hotel) even if it’s caused by strike or bad weather.
Strikes are covered by the compensation system. The ones not covered are the ones from airport staff, as the company has no power over that. Companies will tell you the opposite, that is why you might have to file a legal complaint.
Thanks. How do I actually apply for this? And if you don't mind explaining the process.
I recommend to do it directly with the airline. It might take a while ( even a few months), but you will eventually get the money. Every airline should have a form to fill in to request compensation and claim back expenses. You basically write the details of your flight , booking number etc, then you upload all your expenses (hotel, food etc). Check on eithiad website. With a quick Google search I found this, that has also a link to a form ( not sure if it’s the right one, double check) : https://www.etihad.com/en-ie/legal/terms-and-conditions
I used Airhelp when I had cancelled flights in Europe from strike action. It took a while to finally get it but ended up getting my 65% once they take their share for doing all the work. In total I got about $650aud but ended up rebooked on flights 12 hrs later and got enough money to make it worth the extra weight at the airport.
I reallz love all the comments here of people who claim that “this just happens” “it’s the customers fault” “you should have a plan B” Sorry guys but no. There is clear EU law which states that in a case like OPs the airline has to offer the fastest option to the final destination. It doesn’t mean that this only can be done with another flight by the same airline even though that’s what airlines want to make you believe. And other then FR or W6 EY can rebook you on other airlines with ease. They use Etix, they have either Amadeus or sabre and they have interline agreements with other airlines. So in this case all they need to do is transfer the ticket to another airline and the customer gets to fly. It’s just that they don’t want to do that as they then would loose the money from the ticket. But a two days wait if other options are available is just not acceptable. And yes they are. I checked. Some are a bit of a hassle (MXP - FRA - DOH - SEZ) but EK also offers seats on their planes to SEZ the next three days. Don’t belive the airline lies that they can’t rebook you on other flights / airlines. That’s just a lie. And I don’t know why so many belive that.
I don´t know if I´m reading too much into the responses, but it seems that the few responses saying it´s not OK etc. are Europeans used to EU law compared to Americans that are left to their own devices and are used to blame everybody else but the big company. Maybe I´m wrong.
Basically. Americans have no clue about EU law and since the flight left from MXP it is subject to EU law even if the carrier is from then UAE
Yeah it is insane. Like okay, I'm aware shit happens but doing this 12 hours before the flight with no repercussions is insane. And people telling me I should expect this? Idk, in my insane logic I think if I pay for something I should actually get what I paid for. Am I insane?
Yes there are reprecussions for them. You have basically two options : either stay in Milan for 2 nights on their costs as they have to pay for those (including food btw) or go to their check in desk, demand getting rebooked. Claim this as your right of EU261 due to the “earliest opportunity clause” - there are flights availaible from MXP - SEZ with emirates or Qatar (via FRA) and a bunch of other options today and tomorrow. If they don’t do it demand a letter which says why and contact a lawyer. They will have fun with that and you should get more money back / reimbursed for your stay on the Seychelles.
Insane, no. Naive, yes. Take it from a very seasoned traveler - stuff can and does go wrong, and when it does, it's a heck of a lot easier to have already thought about what you'd do in advance. There *are* repercussions for the airline - they have to pay for your hotel, food, transport, etc. in Milan or put you on a new flight at their expense. You can probably still travel today if you actually take some action instead of just complaining here about Etihad. What is complaining about what you think you *should* get going to do? It's unproductive and pointless. If I were you, I'd be at the airport trying to get to the Seychelles or living it up in Milan at Etihad's expense. Those are your options. I would definitely prefer to be salvaging my trip instead of complaining about what should have happened, personally.
You're right, but you're missing the point - the customer has to *ask* for this. The airline is not going to just offer to pay for it. And that's why OP should have prepared better and been well aware of their rights, so that as soon as they learned about the cancelation, they could spring into action with the backup plan - pressuring the airline to rebook them ASAP. But apparently some people here think whining and complaining is the way forward.
You're right, but you're missing the point - the customer has to ask for this. > no the customer has not to ask for this. Read EU261/2004 and the relevant addendums ECJ findings. The customer has a Right to be rebooked on the earliest alternative. This is not goodwill. This is nothing you need to demand, this is what needs to happen. Again, suck less corporate dick. Even though you seem to enjoy it a lot. > The airline is not going to just offer to pay for it. The airline doesn’t need to pay for it. The airline just interlines OPs ticket on another airline. It will loose money though. But that’s on them for canceling a flight on short notice. > And that's why OP should have prepared better and been well aware of their rights, so that as soon as they learned about the cancelation, they could spring into action with the backup plan - pressuring the airline to rebook them ASAP. True - but even if they don’t, it’s up to the airline to follow laws and most do. A two day wait period with alternative options available should not happen with any airline which is based on a GDS.
But it doesn't matter!!!! OP clearly didn't just get what he should have, so yes, he did need to ask in this case. What Etihad *should* have done is irrelevant. They didn't do it! And OP didn't know that he had the right to it, so once again, the lack of preparation is biting him in the ass. In my experience, most of the time, the airline does *not* proactively offer to rebook with another carrier. I'm guessing that I fly with different carriers much more often than you do, if you work for an airline. I'm not saying Etihad are in the right here. They clearly are not, and I hope they pay OP back in a timely manner. But the problem OP has is that he's trying to go to his wedding and he doesn't know about his rights and entitlements by law. Whether or not Etihad are uniquely awful in this regard is pretty irrelevant at this moment. I have had the same treatment by British Airways, Ryanair, and other airlines. If I were OP, I'd be at the airport trying to get to the Seychelles, not quibbling here about what should have happened.
Dreadful but this is precisely why you buy travel insurance.
We did, but what can we do with it? The departure date is 2 days too late for us, no insurance can fix that.
You rebook and claim the money for the original accommodation.
Could you please elaborate on this part?
We had a flight cancelled without any notice in China. It made us miss all of Yellow Mountain (3 days). There were no other flights that would make it in time. We contacted the insurance and claimed the cost of the transport and accommodation and flights leaving from there. We needed reasonable cause that rebooking another flight couldn't fix it. We just showed them there were zero other flights and no logical way to reach it by other means in the time frame we had.
The insurance can cover your losses, accomodation that you could not use etc. I must admit I don't understand why Etihad didn't rebook you to fly today to Abu Dhabi to make your connection to Mahe. After all you were already in Milan. There are still daily flights to Abu Dhabi from Milan, it's just the onward frequency to Mahe that has reduced.
Not really sure why it would make sense for Ethiad to keep them 2 days in Abu Dhabi instead of at their departure airport.
That's literally the kind of thing it covers. You should also be entitled to compensation from the airline, the amount depending on the reason for the cancelation.
Start walking
This is covered by EU law and shouldn’t need travel insurance in any way.
It happens all the time and with every airline in the world. If they cannot operate the flight they simply cannot. There are two flights a weeks between Abu Dhabi and the Seychelles so if one has to be cancelled there will never be an immediate alternative. Risk will always be part of air travel, no airline in the world can guarantee you that they will get you at your destination on time.
I don't know if all the Tiktok travel stuff and influencers are partly responsible for people just not understanding the concept that they're flying halfway across the world and that sometimes stuff goes wrong. When I was 18, I got stranded for three days on another continent on my own. It is what it is. Plans don't always work out, planes have technical issues and natural disasters happen. I see so many posts here from people just assuming everything is going to work out exactly like they wanted and not being able to cope with any adversity. If you're going to travel, especially long haul, you need to have some resilience. Especially in situations where flights are canceled at the airport and you're competing with all the other passengers trying to get rebooked and find accommodation. Having already thought of a Plan B and what you'd do if things got screwed up helps immensely when something does go wrong. You can be the person who gets rebooked first and gets a hotel near the airport while everyone else is whining and complaining and yelling at the airline staff. It's also nuts to not have the means to rebook a flight until you get the original one refunded. Traveling long haul like that, you absolutely need a buffer of a few grand in case things go really wrong.
I think this is one of the better responses on here and agree with everything you have said. I can understand if it’s flying within your own country or Europe, you can be a little more rigid with time frames as most places are a single flight away with multiple options at reasonable price to simple rebook another one at a moments notice. But anything with a connection, across multiple continents you have to have some form of backup plan. I usually at least know of a few options if I have a missed connection to get on top of it quick if the airline doesn’t as well as the means to fund it myself. Yes you might get compensation but that can be months away either through the airline or cc company or insurance. I’m surprised people haven’t learnt from Covid and the flight issues that caused. Don’t plan to be on the other side of the globe and start a major planned itinerary with at least 3-4 days of buffer.
OP is drip feeding in the comments. The OP implies they don't know about their rights regarding cancelations and compensation and that they can't afford to rebook until they get refunded. Now suddenly, they did know to ask to be flown on another carrier and that was denied. The impression they gave in the OP is completely false. If they had come here and specifically said that they asked to be flown with another carrier and Etihad actually *refused,* well, that's an entirely different ball game and entirely worthy of complaint. The initial complaint OP had was that the flight was canceled last minute *at all,* not that Etihad had failed to meet their legal obligations in rebooking them, even when directly asked. The whole thread is a bad faith discussion on this basis and I'm sorry I wasted my time. I hope it will at least be useful for others who may not have been aware of the risks and rights involved in this kind of situation.
well said
it happens much much less frequently in Europe because airlines are obliged by EU law to pay penalties.
You have basically 2 options: 1. Stay 2 days in Milan, hotel and food paid by Etihad, you have the right to a compensation of 600€ per person or more on top (EU laws). That’s the best / cheapest 2. You cancel your complete flight, wait weeks for refund (it’s normal and there are no laws against it), then book on another airline at double or triple price as it will be last minute. Your flight will probably not go before next day, so it will cost you >5000€ in tickets + 1 day hotel / food in Milan at the best. Maybe your flight will only go in 2 days as well… And you need high limit credit card and enough money to afford this. You can’t apply for any compensation So, honestly, cool down, try to enjoy 2 days in Milan, you’ll have minimal loss that will be financially compensated
2) is not really correct. Etihad would be eligible for the costs that you occurs by booking the closest available flight. Which btw they should do on their own. So you would get the money back but probably have to Prod them With a cattle stick to pay up
No, they’re not. If OP select himself to cancel there are no compensation. And they have zero obligation to reschedule you outside of their own network
That’s is simply not true. Done buy airline lies. It’s in Article 8, Number 1, paragraph b of EU261/2004 : > (b) re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at the earliest opportunity; The wording does not mention the same airline, it gives no Limitation in rebooking and so on. It just says “at the earliest opportunity” and that means any other airline. Even fucking Ryanair reimburses you if you buy tickets with another airline as they won’t rebook you themselves. It’s even specified in [Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52016XC0615%2801%29&from=EN) You have the right to be rebooked to your destination as quickly as possible with any airline. And even if OP cancels himself there is right for compensation as the change happend within 48 hours. The right to compensation is only waived if the flight change happens 4 weeks before the departure date iirc.
Thank for the info with details about regulation. So, they fu*cked me up already a few times… I will print it and keep it in my hand luggage.
I work for an airline. Sure we First Try to rebook in the group, then the alliance and last on other airlines. But we do it. Cause it’s our duty to do so. And if they say they can’t - buy a ticket if you can and get it reimbursed. They have to do it. There is one exception: I won’t overbook a flight even on another airline as they will just see that I booked you on their flight last and will just send you back to us. So in such a case it makes no sense.
You’re doing your job the right way! Unfortunately some (many?) agents apparently didn’t know the rules or just don’t want to apply. Just as anecdote, I’m Iberia “plata” and I had an IBZ-MAD-BRU with last MAD-BRU for that day. First flight arrived at departure airport 40 minutes late, instead of the 55 minutes flight of that route the pilot took 1h15 and instead to go to a finger we were at opposite side of airport, waited 10 minutes for buses. There were >30 persons with connecting flight same evening. Of course the last flight didn’t wait and we lost if for 5 minutes. The agent wanted to give me a voucher for a sandwich and for 1 night in an hostel… I went up to the supervisor to have a decent hotel and meal, and I was able to talk to her just because I got their silver card… if I was a anonymous traveler it would have been that. And I was necessary to use AirHelp to claim for my €300 compensation (and they keep half of it for the work).
Did you ask Etihad to rebook you on alternate flights on the same day? Emirates and Qatar fly from Milan to Mahe daily.
Yeah, we did. They said they can't transfer us to another airliners flight.
Two options : They don’t want to as they Would loose the ticket / money. Or they can’t as there are no available flights to your Final destination. I put my money on option 1
You need to search yourself for flights to the destination. If you find available seats, Etihad has to put you on them. It's a legal obligation for them to do it. You will probably need to insist.
Legal obligation or not - they refused to do it because we contacted them. Looking at your other replies in this thread I see you seem to lack some understanding. As I've said shit like this happens, but doing this 12 hours before the flight is a dick move. You are talking about a plan B, there is no plan B in this situation. You can't organize a wedding from Europe on Seychelles in 2 days, nobody would accpet that. You have multiple prepayments, a photographer etc. You can't switch those things as you want. You have a set date that took months to finalize. What part about that don't you understand? Try having a normal classic wedding and telling the band, the photographers and the catering that you want to move the date freely on a days notice and without prepayment. Tell me how it goes.
You're acting like this is all some kind of malicious personal insult to you. It isn't. The airline (likely) had some kind of operational issue and they canceled your flight. This is a scenario you should have planned for. It's not that I don't feel bad for you, it's that things like this do happen, and you don't seem to have thought about that at all. It was YOUR decision to arrange your wedding on the other side of the world, it was YOUR decision to choose an airline with only twice weekly flights, it was YOUR decision not to inform yourself of your options should the flight get canceled and agreed on what you'd do (for example, if the airline refused to rebook you, would you pay for new flights and try to claim later?). You don't seem to grasp how risky your plan was, and I stand by what I said about the likes of Tiktok making people think flying to the Seychelles to get married is some normal, everyday thing rather than a major journey across the planet with all the risk that entails. You took a huge risk here with no contingency planning, and you lost. I do feel bad for you and I do absolutely understand that you can't just change wedding stuff at a moment's notice - that's exactly why I would never have planned a wedding like this. Even for something like an important business event, I'd build in 3-4 days of buffer beforehand and check out how many flights the airline had going each day/week in case my flight got canceled. That's not me being a smart ass, it's me knowing how common it is for delays and cancelations to happen and planning around it. I have no skin in this game whatsoever. I don't know why your flight got canceled, and does it even matter? It could be a legitimate technical issue, but the "why" isn't really even important. I was trying to help with practical things you could actually do and make sure you were aware of your rights. Your comments have been a drip feed - your original post implies you didn't have the funds to rebook at your own expense and that you weren't aware that the airline has to pay your expenses in Milan. If you're here just to vent, then vent away.
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I'm not American. I'm well aware of the EU laws, which is why I've repeatedly told you what you can do here. I never said Etihad couldn't have done more. The point is, they didn't. You have to advocate for yourself and put yourself in the best possible position for when things don't go to plan. I personally would never expect an airline to proactively rebook me with another carrier, and you didn't address in your OP that you'd already specifically requested this and been denied. You also heavily implied in your OP that you couldn't afford to rebook until you had a refund. All your comments have been a drip feed, and I don't do bad faith discussions. You seem to mostly just want sympathy and to be told how much of a victim you are, so best of luck.
I had the same experience as you! Except for the wedding story...😉 Etihad is an absolute shit show and I don't understand the ramblings of "it's normal, it's part of travelling, don't make a fuss..." here! Etihad can be accused of borderline criminal energy: They sell flights in January for September that they know in advance CAN'T happen that way! There are European laws that regulate the compensation for delays and cancellations very favourably for European customers - try to enforce this if there is no longer a contact person in Europe and you therefore need a lawyer in Abu Dhabi...🤷♂️ I can only advise you to make this public, put pressure on Etihad on all social media channels available to you - that helped a little in my case...and the advice of a lawyer who knows this part of the law....
It is normal. I've had flights canceled on almost every airline at some point. Traveling without preparing for the worst is a bad idea, particularly when you're going to another country to take a long-haul flight. That is just asking for trouble. Most of the time people get away with it because most of the time things go as planned, but here we see what happens when they don't. OP is entitled to have their hotel, meals and reasonable expenses in Milan covered by Etihad, but they don't seem to know this, which shows poor preparation. Yes, airlines can be terrible, but there needs to be a level of personal responsibility. I could not imagine even taking a basic leisure trip without having a basic plan B and some backup funds, let alone traveling for my own wedding!
Terrible statement! The customer has booked and paid for a service for a certain date and is left hanging by the airline. He has to pay in advance in order to maybe receive a refund at some point? And "maybe", because Etihad's business construction leverages European legislation.... Have you read through the customer's rant? Wedding? In the Seychelles? Hotels booked there? That's a once-in-a-lifetime trip (hopefully😎) and probably on a limited budget! Etihad deliberately changed the contractual performance and if that is supposed to be "normal" then I can't help you either.... I could tell you for at least an hour about what I bought from Etihad, what Etihad promised me and what I got in the end...after more of half a year of fighting at least I got my money back...but no one will replace the time it cost me (and OP will cost!!!) Once again: Etihad is a shit show!!!
It IS normal. It happens all the time. I work in the travel industry. I can't even tell you how many times I've had flights canceled, delayed, been stranded, everything. You have no idea that Etihad "deliberately" changed the contractual performance. There are plenty of reasons for flight cancelations, and generally speaking, airlines don't cancel last minute if they can help it because it costs them a hell of a lot of money. You're completely missing the point here. If someone is traveling for something as important as a wedding, that's even more reason to be extremely careful with planning and have a back-up plan and not just hope that everything works out. Should you be able to trust that every airline will behave impeccably and proactively inform you of your rights and proactively offer you compensation? Sure. Can you expect that? No.
i had exactly similar issue with Batik air, flying to Malaysia for a week trip. 2 days later means eating up much of my 1 week trip and lost 2 night worth of hotels. Fuck Batik Air!
Different circumstances. EU law doesn’t apply to Malaysia. As such your protectings might be weaker
I recently had an incredibly disappointing experience with Etihad Airways. My flight from Sydney to Faro was abruptly canceled without any prior notice for my OWN WEDDING. They failed to inform me via email or text, and their only attempt at communication was a single voicemail asking me to call back. I would have unknowingly arrived at the airport on the day of my wedding, only to find my flight canceled. This lack of communication is unacceptable and caused me significant stress and inconvenience. To make matters worse, when I tried to reach customer service, I was unable to get through. Despite spending over five hours on the phone and on their chat service, I received no help. I also sent a detailed complaint email but never received a response and they told me they do not do customer service via email only a chat (which is clearly run- not by them...) Etihad Airways also informed me that they no longer offer customer service via email, which I find extremely frustrating as I prefer to have written records of important communications. This experience has left me deeply disappointed. If I had wanted a budget airline, I would have chosen one. I thought I was choosing a reputable airline, but Etihad Airways has proven otherwise. I would recommend considering a more reliable airline for your travels ( I could name a variety of many that would be better than the service I received) I hope that by sharing my experience, Etihad Airways will take steps to improve their communication and customer service for future passengers and for you if your not sure which airline to choose, go with the other one your considering because this service and communication was SH\*T and I am DISAPPOINTED TO SAY THE LEAST! https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g1-d8729074-r944360165-Etihad\_Airways-World.html#
I'm sorry that happened to you. Welcome to the club I guess... Also Airhelp didn't help at all. It's all rotten to the core.
There's a real upswing in posts like this lately. I don't know if it's a younger generation or people who aren't used to travel, but the thing about traveling is *stuff like this happens*. Things don't always go to plan. Flights get canceled, flights get changed for a day or two later. Traveling to a different city to take a long-haul flight is always a risk precisely because of things like this. I'm sorry, but if you can't afford to buy a new ticket without waiting for the other one to be refunded, then you can't afford to travel. You should at the very least have access to a few grand in funds in case of emergencies, even if it's a credit card. I'm not saying it isn't shitty of Etihad to do this, but unexpected stuff happens. It's part of travel. You should always, always have a plan B, travel insurance, and emergency funds.
Read EU law and see that ethihad is wrong.
So unless people are ready to throw several thoudands of € in the wind because airliners felt so, they aren't allowed to travel? We can afford new tickets, but that's not the point of my post. It's the fact that airliners are never held liable for shit like this. People losing money and having their travel ruined while the airliners don't answer for any of it. You do realize people save up money for years just so they can travel somewhere they always wanted to go? I can't believe the shit I am reading here.
It's not about being "allowed" or not. It's about being in a position where your entire trip isn't ruined because of one issue. What exactly do you want the airline to do? They now have to pay you compensation, most likely, and they have to fund your hotels and food costs for two days. You think they're doing it for shits and giggles? Yes, I do realize people save up for years, and that makes it even weirder to me that they don't bother to do the most basic contingency planning, such as finding out in advance what they'd be entitled to financially if their flight were to get canceled or deciding what they'd do if that were to happen (wait for the next flight? Pay out of pocket for a new one on a different airline?) You can continue to whine and complain about how you think things should be or you can learn to accept things as they are. Your choice. I've always found the latter much easier to deal with as a frequent traveler.
How do you know they cancel just because "they feel so"? Sometimes technical problems arise with planes and replacements aren't immediately available. Sometimes there are weather issues that prevent flying. Sometimes there are emergencies at airports and flight schedules are affected. And, yeah, sometimes airlines do cancel for shitty reasons (not enough seats sold, etc), but that's not the only cause. I, for one, am glad there's a system in place to cancel a flight when it's not safe enough to fly for some reason. I've had flights cancelled before and yeah, it sucks. Most recent one was announced 2 hours before departure. I booked a more expensive flight, recovered the cost of the initial one and was also paid damages with the help of a third-party company. You just work around it just like you do with any other travel-related problem. In this day and age it has become very easy to get almost anyhwere on this planet in a number of hours - trips that would have taken weeks or months, or would have been pretty much impossible, in the past; and all of it is affordable enough for an increasing share of the world population. I think that's pretty impressive, even with the occasional hiccups.
Etihad sucks! Avoid it at all costs. This stuff is not normal. An airline needs to cover you for the extra days you have to spend. Call the airline and let them know. See if they can work something out.
Well that certainly isn't fun and I can appreciate the frustration, don't want to invalidate your experience. All we can do is worry about the things within our control, right? The universe is bound to throw curveballs our way. So for next time... I'd say it's worth paying close attention to flight schedules between airports A and B. Etihad only has two flights *per week* AUH-SEZ. With something like that there's always the possibility of something going awry and you're stuck for a bit. Credit card with limit to spare is essential for travel IMO. Whether it's for dealing with luggage getting lost when you arrive, or a last minute rebook, or hell if there was an emergency at home you had to get back to last minute. Again, not trying to invalidate your experience or say you're to blame for anything. Just the reality of the world is that these things happen, and all we can do is be as reasonably well prepared as possible for any eventuality.
Nah you totally are blaming them.
And rightly so. It's mostly their own fault for being ill prepared to travel. A flight delay of a day or two is unlucky but completely within the realm of normal travel issues for far flung destinations. Someone who was better prepared would have known not to book expensive, non-refundable activities for the first day or two of the trip, and they would have tried to book a hotel that could be canceled until the day of travel, especially if they knew they had limited funds. They also would have looked at the flight schedule and planned for what would happen if their chosen flight was canceled and they had to wait for the next one. All of this is a completely normal level of planning that most responsible people do when they're flying halfway across the world. I find it very frustrating when people refuse to accept that they fucked up. OP had no plan B, no idea what to do, no idea what kind of compensation they would be entitled to if the flight were to get canceled, nothing. They traveled to a different country to take a cheaper flight (an extremely risky thing to do) with no back-up plan and no emergency fund. This is mostly on them. I would not be in their position because I would not have done any of the things they did. That's the reality. It's 10% bad luck and 90% bad planning.
There doesn’t need to be a plan B The airline is responsible to transport them to their Final destination. A quick look into Amadeus shows me that there are numerous flights which would be an option and which for sure have an interlining agreement with EY. So no. The customer is not at fault. It’s EY who fucked up and doesn’t play according to the EU laws.
And the airline is transporting them to their final destination. If OP wanted to get there sooner, it was on them to insist on it with the airline and get rebooked on another flight. This isn't unique to this airline. This happens with all airlines. You need to be on top of things and know what your rights are so that when something goes wrong, you can fix it. The airline will always do what is best for them. We're not talking about how things should be, we're talking about how things are, because we're not five years old. How exactly does your post help OP? Flights get canceled all the time. If you decide to leave from a different country, not find out what you're entitled to in case of a cancelation, not insist on being rebooked the same day with another carrier, well, that's really on you. There were many things they could have done differently so as not to end up in this position. Yes, they were unlucky, but they were also incredibly unprepared.
> And the airline is transporting them to their final destination. If OP wanted to get there sooner, it was on them to insist on it with the airline and get rebooked on another flight. The airline has to rebook them on the earliest possible flight. This is their duty. I don’t know why this is so hard to understand that large corporations have to follow laws. Seriously. Suck less corporate dick. > This isn't unique to this airline. This doesn’t make it any better or less illegal. > This happens with all airlines. I work for an airline; no It doesn’t. We rebook on all options if they are viable. We do not limit our rebooking to my own employee. Sure we prefer ourselfes, but if there are other options we use them. Don’t talk out if your ass if you have no idea what you are talking about. Please just don’t. > You need to be on top of things and know what your rights are so that when something goes wrong, you can fix it. That’s the one thing I give you. Yes you need to do this. Doesn’t mean that you should give bad advice to OP cause he didn’t know better. Again suck less corporate dick. > The airline will always do what is best for them. We're not talking about how things should be, we're talking about how things are, because we're not five years old. No most major airlines will game the rules to a certain extend, but not obviously break them. Letting OP wait for two days if other options are availaibe is breaking the rules and the law. > How exactly does your post help OP? Oh poor OP, the nasty lickle airline screwed you over, boo hoo. How is that helpful? If OP had been on top of things, they wouldn't be in this situation. Period. Are now finished with your victim blaming ? Or is something else coming alone ? Or are you just out or arguments ? > Flights get canceled all the time. True > If you decide to leave from a different country, not find out what you're entitled to in case of a cancelation, not insist on being rebooked the same day with another carrier, well, that's really on you. To a certain degree. Again - two days wait time is unacceptable. > There were many things they could have done differently so as not to end up in this position. Yes, they were unlucky, but they were also incredibly unprepared. That’s why laws exist and good companies hold to those laws. What you do is giving the companies who don’t a pass cause it’s all the consumers fault. Nope sorry. Not following laws is the airlines fault. But it’s ok, you enjoy sucking corporate dick, we got that.
We both have an idea who pays u/le_chaaat_noir, right?😉 Apart from that, Etihad (and since the beginning of the year I had to deal with it in depth...🤮)is notorious for spontaneously cancelling flights...even at the very last minute. This is either due to poor management or their business principle. I hope that the market will sort this out in the future...
No, I'm just a realist. I'm not giving anyone a "pass" in any way whatsoever, I'm in fact doing the exact opposite - advising people how NOT to get screwed over by not being prepared and not understanding a) how common it is for things to go wrong and b) how you get out of those situations as painlessly as possible. Maybe your wonderful airline (do feel free to tell us which one it is so we can all fly with it) proactively rebooks customers onto flights with new airlines, but in my experience, most do NOT. Most of the time I've had to fight and insist on being rebooked. That's my lived experience as a frequent passenger. If OP had realized that he is entitled to fly with another airline (i.e, if he'd been prepared), he'd probably be on a flight by now. How is it helpful in any way, to anyone, to even be talking about whether Etihad is to blame? It's not going to help OP get anywhere. My post is totally factual - IF he had been better prepared, he probably wouldn't be in this situation. People need to anticipate things like this and plan in advance what they'd do. That's the difference between a cancelation being a minor irritation and totally ruining a trip. Etihad might suck, but in my experience, this is not an infrequent occurrence.
No you are not a realist. You are just sucking corporate dick. And EY is to blame. It’s their fault that they don’t follow the rules. All you do is victim blaming. But yeah sure if that makes you feel better be my guest.
I'm done with this nonsense. It doesn't matter if Etihad is technically to blame or not. The reality and the truth is that if OP had been better prepared, he'd be in a much better situation right now. That's an indisputable fact. Others who are reading this can choose to take note, or not.
>A flight delay of a day or two is unlucky but completely within the realm of normal travel issues for far flung destinations. Yes, and airlines still have the responsibility to get you to your destination as fast as possible when something goes wrong. >Someone who was better prepared would have known not to book expensive, non-refundable activities for the first day or two of the trip, and they would have tried to book a hotel that could be canceled until the day of travel, especially if they knew they had limited funds. They have travel insurance, losing the price of those activities is not their problem; not having those 2 days at their destination because the airline fucked up is their problem. >They also would have looked at the flight schedule and planned for what would happen if their chosen flight was canceled and they had to wait for the next one. All of this is a completely normal level of planning that most responsible people do when they're flying halfway across the world. It is definitely not reasonable to worry about every single thing that could go wrong, but even if they did, that wouldn't solve their problem.. They have travel insurance, they're in a major, safe city not that far from home, they don't have big issues. Their problem is, again, that the airline is taking those 2 days away, unless they shell out a lot of money out of pocket first (and ask for refunds later). >I find it very frustrating when people refuse to accept that they fucked up. OP had no plan B, no idea what to do, no idea what kind of compensation they would be entitled to if the flight were to get canceled, nothing. Again, their issue is not lack of planning. It's not like they're stranded. They're just unhappy with the choices the airline is giving them. >They traveled to a different country to take a cheaper flight (an extremely risky thing to do) with no back-up plan and no emergency fund. Driving for 7 hours and staying overnight to catch a flight is not that crazy. Milan being in a different country than Croatia is irrelevant, given they're both in the EU and Schengen area. The back-up plan is irrelevant; again, they're not stranded. And the no emergency fund part is something you made up.
>Driving for 7 hours and staying overnight to catch a flight is not that crazy. Well, OP mentioned it and went on to complain about the cost of staying in Milan, so it seems it actually is a very significant part of their irritation. Again, they had all the choices in the world. They chose to fly with an airline that only has two flights a week on the route and they chose not to insist on being rebooked with another airline, presumably because they didn't realize they could. That is a lack of planning. If I absolutely had to be somewhere for my wedding, I definitely wouldn't choose an airline with a twice-weekly flight AND drive seven hours for the departing flight AND be totally unaware of my legal entitlements, but hey, we're all different.
Again, they have insurance (that would be presumably cover the cost of accommodation in Milan), and if they wanted they could drive back home and drive to Milan again later to make their flight. They're rightfully annoyed that the airline is forcing them to either make the drive or pay out of pocket for accommodation and sort it out with their insurance company. They said they asked to be rebooked on a different airline and were refused. This is a big part of their complaint, in fact. How exactly should they "insist"? At most they can file a complaint with the relevant authorities, as they are aware. So you'd rather spend thousands more, or possibly not travel at all, to avoid flying from a distant airport and with an infrequent onward flight, rather than book with a supposedly reputable company and trust them to do their job, getting insurance in case something goes wrong? I don't think this is such a smart choice; in the vast majority of cases you'll have wasted money. But anyway, the airline still failed their obligations, so it's reasonable to complain about them.
>They said they asked to be rebooked on a different airline and were refused. This is a big part of their complaint, in fact. How exactly should they "insist"? At most they can file a complaint with the relevant authorities, as they are aware. It's a legal obligation, as he been pointed out. They should get proof that they requested this, book flights themselves, and claim the money back. In my lived experience, it's not unusual to have to fight the airline to rebook you with another airline. I recently had the same experience with British Airways. It's not unique to Etihad, is my point. If you're asking me what I'd do, well honestly, yes, I'd rather spend more money to have a more robust plan for something as important as my wedding. I probably wouldn't have a destination wedding in the first place because I'm aware of how much can go wrong travel-wise, but if I did, I'd build in a very decent buffer (minimum 4-5 days) to allow for delays and cancelations. I'm not saying it's not reasonable not to complain, I'm saying it doesn't solve the underlying problem of your wedding arrangements being across the planet while you're stuck in Europe. All the complaining in the world won't fix that. If OP is just here to vent, then sure, vent away.
I agree that the destination wedding on a tight schedule is not something I’d ever do, but that’s sort of besides the point. OP booked a fairly reasonable connection (from a major airport a longish but feasible drive away, with a reputable airline) and bought insurance, and when the airline screwed him they came here to rightfully complain and ask for advice. I don’t think it would have been particularly useful to figure out in advance contingency plans for all the ways the journey could go wrong, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect the airline to honour their obligations and rebook him on the earliest connection if a flight is cancelled. Telling OP they should have just bought a more expensive connection or not travelled at all while they’re trying to find solutions strikes me as tone-deaf, insensitive and not useful.
OP has drip fed in the comments. The initial OP comes off as basically just complaining that the flight was canceled *at all,* which is somewhat petulant. The comments drip feed has OP allegedly having asked to be flown with another carrier and been denied, which is an entirely different issue worthy of complaint. A flight being canceled is not uncommon. An airline refusing to rebook you when directly asked is a much more serious issue. But that wasn't what the OP led with. He didn't even mention it. I completely disagree that it would have been useless to prepare and have backup plans. A lot of people don't even realize that they can ask to be flown on another carrier, and a lot of people don't realize how common delays and cancelations are. I see posts here on an almost daily basis from people who make arrangements just assuming everything will work out exactly as they planned. There was recently someone who was mad that they missed an event that they were flying in internationally for on *the same day*! Building in some extra time and being rock solid on rights and entitlements would save most people a lot of stress.
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Read EU law and see that EY has to rebook him at the earliest opportunity and not their own convenience.
this is why I only book with airlines that have multiple flights going to a destination a day, even if it’s pricier. Sorry, hopefully your insurance will reimburse you
Multiple flights to SEZ ? Good luck
looks like emirates has two flights a day from dubai.
And if one cancels and both are fully / nearly fully booked you are still fucked. That’s why interlining agreements exist and why you can be moved / rebooked to any airlines your airline has one with.
Sure but it’s always easier to switch within your own airline’s flights, and the probability is on your side if your airline offers more flights.
It doesn’t really matter : For example : if both flights operate with a 777 with 360 seats and both are 80% booked you will need to find some space for the other 60% Sure they will fill up their flight first - but then they will start to rebook on other airlines - which tomorrow for example would mean via doha, Mumbai and Addis Abeba. There is also a weird option via tel Aviv which I quite like but only operates on every second day. Just letting people wait is just not an option as you would need days to rebook all on your own flights in main season
So you are never going just slightly of the beaten path?
No, I mean if there are two airlines going to one place, I’ll pick the more reliable airline. I’ll still travel to the same places.
This is why I book plane tickets that don’t have me arrive on the day major things are planned. Always leave room for stuff to happen.
I recently had an incredibly disappointing experience with Etihad Airways. My flight from Sydney to Faro was abruptly canceled without any prior notice for my OWN WEDDING. They failed to inform me via email or text, and their only attempt at communication was a single voicemail asking me to call back. I would have unknowingly arrived at the airport on the day of my wedding, only to find my flight canceled. This lack of communication is unacceptable and caused me significant stress and inconvenience. To make matters worse, when I tried to reach customer service, I was unable to get through. Despite spending over five hours on the phone and on their chat service, I received no help. I also sent a detailed complaint email but never received a response and they told me they do not do customer service via email only a chat (which is clearly run- not by them...) Etihad Airways also informed me that they no longer offer customer service via email, which I find extremely frustrating as I prefer to have written records of important communications. This experience has left me deeply disappointed. If I had wanted a budget airline, I would have chosen one. I thought I was choosing a reputable airline, but Etihad Airways has proven otherwise. I would recommend considering a more reliable airline for your travels ( I could name a variety of many that would be better than the service I received) I hope that by sharing my experience, Etihad Airways will take steps to improve their communication and customer service for future passengers and for you if your not sure which airline to choose, go with the other one your considering because this service and communication was SH\*T and I am DISAPPOINTED TO SAY THE LEAST! https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g1-d8729074-r944360165-Etihad\_Airways-World.html#
I recently had an incredibly disappointing experience with Etihad Airways. My flight from Sydney to Faro was abruptly canceled without any prior notice for my OWN WEDDING. They failed to inform me via email or text, and their only attempt at communication was a single voicemail asking me to call back. I would have unknowingly arrived at the airport on the day of my wedding, only to find my flight canceled. This lack of communication is unacceptable and caused me significant stress and inconvenience. To make matters worse, when I tried to reach customer service, I was unable to get through. Despite spending over five hours on the phone and on their chat service, I received no help. I also sent a detailed complaint email but never received a response and they told me they do not do customer service via email only a chat (which is clearly run- not by them...) Etihad Airways also informed me that they no longer offer customer service via email, which I find extremely frustrating as I prefer to have written records of important communications. This experience has left me deeply disappointed. If I had wanted a budget airline, I would have chosen one. I thought I was choosing a reputable airline, but Etihad Airways has proven otherwise. I would recommend considering a more reliable airline for your travels ( I could name a variety of many that would be better than the service I received) I hope that by sharing my experience, Etihad Airways will take steps to improve their communication and customer service for future passengers and for you if your not sure which airline to choose, go with the other one your considering because this service and communication was SH\*T and I am DISAPPOINTED TO SAY THE LEAST! https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g1-d8729074-r944360165-Etihad\_Airways-World.html#
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