Etihad Airways review: cancelled flight

26 November, 2019

Etihad Airlines
Head Office,
New Airport Road, Khalifa City A, PO Box 35566
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates

Dear Sir or Madam,
I wish to make you aware of an unpleasant experience I had on your airline on October 20th of this year. My 9 year old son and I were meant to return home from Seychelles on Flight EY621 from Mahe Island to Abu Dhabi. After boarding, the plane sat on the tarmac for 2 hours while the crew attempted to fix a technical fault. We were then offloaded into the airport, and told to wait for further information. There was no further information provided until the following morning. (The flight was scheduled to leave at 8pm the previous evening). We were not offered a hotel room, despite numerous requests from passengers, and had to attempt to sleep on the hard benches of the airport. We felt this was very inconsiderate on Etihad's part. Many people, myself included, were traveling with children, and found sleeping on the airport seats to be impossible.
Because we missed our flight to Abu Dhabi, we missed our hotel booking at the Aerotel in Terminal 1 of Abu Dhabi airport. This was prepaid, and consequently I was unable to get a refund.
In addition, when we landed in Harare, our luggage was not on the plane. It arrived after 2 days.
This was our first experience with Etihad Airlines. We expected great things, as your airline has a wonderful reputation. Unfortunately, we were left quite disappointed. I do understand that planes develop faults occasionally; it was the way in which Etihad handled the situation that was unacceptable.
We are scheduled to fly Etihad again on 19 December, from Harare to Chicago, via Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi. Etihad Ref # 4TDXHQ (EUISMY). As compensation for our difficult experience and financial loss on Flight EY621 in Oct, I request that my son and I be upgraded to Business Class on one of the legs of our upcoming trip (Johannesburg to Abu Dhabi or Abu Dhabi to Chicago). We fly internationally two or three times per year and would prefer to stick with Etihad for these trips.
Thank you for your consideration.
Kind regards,

Jennifer Wells
+[protected]
[protected]@yahoo.com