Etihad - Left us absolutely stranded

consultech

Hi all,

I never really saw a huge point in this forum, but I suppose it serves a fairly important caveat emptor-related purpose. Just a quick note regarding Etihad airlines...

This happened a few weeks back at the tail end of a fantastic trip to Thailand, unfortunately spoiled by a complete lack of regard by Etihad for their customers:

We were parked on a runway in Abu Dhabi (after a connection from Bangkok) on a plane for 3.5hrs before take-off because Etihad had failed to carry out some very basic checks on the plane's engine (something which I would've thought would be a very basic requirement to start loading people on to the plane). They then informed us that the anti-ice system was not working, and after 2 hours of trying to fix that, decided that it wasn't necessary anyway, and took off.

I understand the pitfalls of booking with another airline for connecting flights, and as such Etihad are protected against the ramifications of causing passengers to miss connection flights. However, I had left myself and herself 4 hours between landing and getting Aer Lingus' 2nd last flight of the day to Dublin from Heathrow.

We were assured with apparent absolute sincerity (This is where my issue lies) on-board the flight by three serparate Etihad cabin crew members that we would be compensated at Heathrow, either put up in an airport hotel for the night, or gotten on to a later flight to Dublin, regardless of whether we were flying with AL or not. We were told to "look out for a ground staff member holding your EIxxx flight number card when you get off".

None of this happened obviously, and we were left alone to find an Etihad staff member in the main terminal to query what was going on. Eventually, having been promised a bed for the night by this staff member, a senior manager got involved and told us "absolutely not", as we were not booked with Etihad, and "4 hour delays are just part and parcel of flying".

As I said; my issue is not with the technicality which Etihad and similar airlines hide behind - but with the fact that we actually stood and waited a full hour to be dealt with on this, when they knew what their line was going to be, having promised us something entirely different on board the flight (and even in-person) just to pacify us. All the while we were missing the last EI flight of the day, which we could've paid 70 quid a head to get-on.

I'm not even bothered following it up as I know I'll just be pi$$ing into the wind, but perhaps this will be of some warning to anyway planning similar, so as not to be pacified on board the flight and get a nasty shock at the other end.

The night concluded with an 8 hour sleep on the Heathrow UK/IE arrivals seats (some of u may know them well!) waiting for the first BMI flight of the day. Only because my sister is a travel agent could she book them in quick fashion for me, without which we could've been left in serious trouble, as many people have absolutely nothing left on cards and in accounts after long trips abroad in places like Thailand.

whippet

i must admit that I don't really have that much sympathy for you!

from what I can read .. you decided to push for compensation or a free hotel night rather than getting on with trying to get on the next available flight?

On long haul travel a four hour delay isn't unusual .. I've experienced delays of over 12 hours on a few occasions.

As soon as you landed in heathrow the airline had no responsibility for you what so ever as they have provided the service you paid for.

consultech

whippet wrote: »

i must admit that I don't really have that much sympathy for you!

from what I can read .. you decided to push for compensation or a free hotel night rather than getting on with trying to get on the next available flight?

On long haul travel a four hour delay isn't unusual .. I've experienced delays of over 12 hours on a few occasions.

As soon as you landed in heathrow the airline had no responsibility for you what so ever as they have provided the service you paid for.

Where's the line though? 4 hours is ok; is 14?

Irrespective of whether they have a duty of any sort to us or not - as that's not my issue - it was the fact that we were promised something that impacted completely to our detriment, rather than just tell us they weren't going to do anything for us on the flight, and allow us go and do our own thing. I would've ha no problem ponying up the 140 quid for a change of flight with AL, inseatd having to spend 240 on BMI flights.

Incidentally, does anyone know would I still be entitled to use those AL flights at a cost?

Owen

consultech wrote: »

Incidentally, does anyone know would I still be entitled to use those AL flights at a cost?

Without trying to sound smarmy, what about your sister the travel agent? Surely she's the best person to advise you in this situation?

connundrum

http://www.aviationreg.ie/Delay/Default.210.html

I'm tired and may have read it wrong, but I'm pretty sure that a 4 hour delay is acceptable for a long haul flight.

smelltheglove

After working as cabin crew I have to admit that I would leave more than 4 hours. Having said that I have heard of people only leaving one hour between flights. There are so many issues that come into play when there is a delay, 5 minutes alone can cause a few hours delay as the schedule is so tight that the plane then has to wait for the next available slot.

consultech

As I've stated a couple of times now: I have no issue with Etihad's duty of care to me here; it was the mis-representation by several staff members, to our detriment.

jor el

You asked the cabin crew, and they're in no position to tell you anything about compensation, or whether your connecting flight would be re-arranged. You asked the wrong people, and got the wrong answer.

This is why you should have travel insurance. If the delay caused you to miss another flight, you should be able to claim the costs. Booking a connection flight separately from the first flight makes it nothing to do with the first airline, regardless of what the flight crew told you.

connundrum

consultech wrote: »

As I've stated a couple of times now: I have no issue with Etihad's duty of care to me here; it was the mis-representation by several staff members, to our detriment.

Without wanting to sound harsh - the best you could do is email the customer service desk telling them your story.

Beyond that, should they wish to compensate you in anyway you've won. If they don't, you'd have some case convincing anyone that those conversations with the air stewards actually took place.

Ask normal staff in any business a question and they'll either give you the answer you want, or the answer which will shut you up. I suspect that is what happened here.

MOH

jor el wrote: »

You asked the cabin crew, and they're in no position to tell you anything about compensation, or whether your connecting flight would be re-arranged. You asked the wrong people, and got the wrong answer.

Flew to Milan via London with BMI a few years ago. Flight to London was well delayed, just made it to the gate in time for the connecting flight, which was then delayed 90 minutes after I boarded. Asked the cabin crew twice if my bag would have made the connection since we were delayed so long, they said they'd check with the ground crew and came back and said it was definitely aboard. Arrived in Milan Friday night, no bag, an hour queueing and missed the last train into town. Didn't help that the only person dealing with it was some poor local Italian agent getting tons of abuse from passengers while trying to ring BMI in London who'd all gone home for the night.

I think sometimes the cabin crew might just tell people good news rather than risk someone throwing a wobbly at them for something that's completely out of their control, which I guess I can understand.

Trampas

I presume Dublin to Bangkok was on the one ticket?

Do Eithad not fly from Dublin to Abu Dhabi?

Why didn't you get that flight instead of going through London?

If you miss your connection flight they should just put you on the next available flight (same airling and assuming it is on the one ticket)

If separate tickets then you are out of luck.

consultech

We were booked HR/BKK return with Etihad and I got separate EI flights for DUB-HR.

Tbh I dont buy it being ok for 3 separate cabin crew members and one ground staff member to blatantly lie to us to get us off their backs, when they knew full well Etihad weren't going to help us. Like I said b4, I would've been grand with being told the truth.

Im surprised any commentators in this thread who seem to demonstrate understanding for their actions even know this forum exists - as outright lying to customers is pretty much the worst level of CS possible, and various posters seem to be ok wth that, or at least justify it on some level... Confusing.

soc

consultech wrote: »

We were booked HR/BKK return with Etihad and I got separate EI flights for DUB-HR.

Tbh I dont buy it being ok for 3 separate cabin crew members and one ground staff member to blatantly lie to us to get us off their backs, when they knew full well Etihad weren't going to help us. Like I said b4, I would've been grand with being told the truth.

I think when you had your conversation with the cabin crew, there may have been an assumption by cabin crew that your connecting flight from LONDON to DUBLIN was organised by Etihad, i.e. although you were flying with Aer Lingus, they were flying you on behalf of Etihad. If this was the case, then yes, Etihad would have been responsible for compensating you for missing your connecting flight, as you would have still been their passenger until you arrived in Dublin. The problem is that you ended your 'contract' with Etihad in LONDON, and organised (off your own back) a new contract with Aer Lingus to fly you back to Dublin.

Basically, if you had travel plans with Etihad for return filghts from DUBLIN to BANGKOK, then they would have covered you. In your case, you only had return flights with them from LONDON to BANGKOK

penexpers

consultech wrote: »

Im surprised any commentators in this thread who seem to demonstrate understanding for their actions even know this forum exists - as outright lying to customers is pretty much the worst level of CS possible, and various posters seem to be ok wth that, or at least justify it on some level... Confusing.

How do you know they were lieing? Maybe they gave you what they believed to be the correct information? It sounds like one of the staff members in LHR was going to give you the hotel until they were over-ruled.

Also, as mentioned, it's quite possible that the cabin crew thought that your connecting flight was on the same ticket, in which case, compensation would apply.

In any case, I am really not sure why you didn't use common sense, realise that you would be liable for missing your connecting flight and pay the 70 euro to get on the next Aer Lingus flight. I know I wouldn't have gone chasing Eithad for compensation if I was in your shoes.

Davidth88

Hi,

It could well be that the Eithad Cabin crew assumed you were on a single tkt. If you were on a single tkt I imagine the whole situation would be different .

In effect Eithad had no clue you had an onward flight ( ok the cabin crew did , but they would not have communicated this to LHR ) . If you had a single tkt , indeed there would have been a person standing there looking for you , or at the very least they would have been expecting you.

Put it this way , if you had a train tkt and you missed your train , would you expect Eithad to help you , the principle is no different.

Although it sounds you were not handled very diplomatically I really don't see how would expect Eithad to act differently .

The morale of your tale , if there is one , book your tkt right through .

consultech

consultech wrote: »

We were assured with apparent absolute sincerity (This is where my issue lies) on-board the flight by three serparate Etihad cabin crew members that we would be compensated at Heathrow, either put up in an airport hotel for the night, or gotten on to a later flight to Dublin, regardless of whether we were flying with AL or not. We were told to "look out for a ground staff member holding your EIxxx flight number card when you get off".

.

Davidth88

OP

How did you expect the ground staff in LHR to know you were connecting EI onwards. You were not on a single tkt.

I would be surprised if the Cabin crew would have rung ahead for you .

My first port of call would have been straight to the EI desk at T1 and explain the situation and ask them what they might do .

I truly think they misunderstood and assumed you were on a through tkt , in which case backup procedures would have kicked in.
Maybe I am totally wrong and Eithad don't train their crews well, but I have always heard good things about them , and any other airline from the Gulf region .

Have you spoken to your insurance company ?

jor el

consultech wrote: »

We were told to "look out for a ground staff member holding your EIxxx flight number card when you get off".

This should have told you that something was wrong. When is the last time you saw someone wandering around the arrivals lounge with a departures card? It doesn't happen.

You had a completely separate booking for the Aer Lingus flight, how was there going to be anyone on the ground who would know you were coming off the Etihad flight, and that you were connecting to an unconnected flight? No one with Aer Lingus would know you were coming off another flight, and no one with Etihad would know you had another flight to take, unless the bookings were linked.

consultech wrote: »

Im surprised any commentators in this thread who seem to demonstrate understanding for their actions even know this forum exists - as outright lying to customers is pretty much the worst level of CS possible, and various posters seem to be ok wth that, or at least justify it on some level... Confusing.

Whether they lied to you or not is not certain, they may have just been clueless, but you should not have accepted what they said as the truth. In any event, since you booked the following flight separately, you'd never have any comeback. I'm confused as to what you're looking for from this. Apart from the fairly obvious untruths, I don't see any other problem. Flight delays are part and parcel with flying, and compensation is only ever paid after a very long delay.

Morlar

I would have thought the cabin crew knew full well and decided, either on their own or as a matter of policy, to feed you a line so as to avoid any disagreements while in flight.

They caused you to miss your connection, legally they are probably covered (except that their staff advised you this was not an issue) but morally they should have given you a voucher/put you up for the night.

Morlar

jor el wrote: »

Whether they lied to you or not is not certain, they may have just been clueless, but you should not have accepted what they said as the truth.

By the sounds of this the company employee's explained the company policy to the consumer. The consumer is not doing anything wrong by believing them. Trying to shift the blame to the consumer on this basis is a bit much.

Trampas

Morlar wrote: »

I would have thought the cabin crew knew full well and decided, either on their own or as a matter of policy, to feed you a line so as to avoid any disagreements while in flight.

They caused you to miss your connection, legally they are probably covered (except that their staff advised you this was not an issue) but morally they should have given you a voucher/put you up for the night.

They got him to London which is what he paid for. They don't have any responsibilty after that apart from making sure his bags came out.

To OP did you tell the staff that you had a separate ticket to Dublin?

When you checked your bags in at Bangkok did they say your bags will be checked through to Dublin or London?

mickoneill30

consultech wrote: »

We were parked on a runway in Abu Dhabi (after a connection from Bangkok) on a plane for 3.5hrs before take-off because Etihad had failed to carry out some very basic checks on the plane's engine (something which I would've thought would be a very basic requirement to start loading people on to the plane).

That's good that they gave a detailed analysis of what caused the problem. Normally they just say technical difficulties on any plane I've ever been on.

consultech wrote: »

We were assured with apparent absolute sincerity (This is where my issue lies) on-board the flight by three serparate Etihad cabin crew members that we would be compensated at Heathrow, either put up in an airport hotel for the night, or gotten on to a later flight to Dublin, regardless of whether we were flying with AL or not. We were told to "look out for a ground staff member holding your EIxxx flight number card when you get off".

The cabin crew were wrong to say this. And I'm not sure how they could have assumed it was part of the Etihad trip as they don't share with AL (as far as I know). I think they share with British Midland.

consultech wrote: »

I'm not even bothered following it up as I know I'll just be pi$$ing into the wind, but perhaps this will be of some warning to anyway planning similar, so as not to be pacified on board the flight and get a nasty shock at the other end.

What they should have said was the Etihad flight was delayed. Hard luck. We'll get you to your destination 4 hours late. Sorry about that. There's no pacifying they needed to do.

The warning is to book your ticket all the way from Dublin. If they then caused you to miss the last flight from Heathrow then they would have had to get you a hotel or some type of compensation. However getting you to your final destination 4 hours late might get entitle you to a cup of tea.

I know you save a few quid by booking like that but is it much these days? I got down to Bangkok for €600 return from Dublin last May. You put your bags on in Dublin and forget about them until your last stop. If the planes are delayed it's a pain in the ass but it doesn't cost anything extra and it's no stress. If your sister is a travel agent I'm sure she'd be able to find the same price and give you the same info.

By the way I've never gone through Heathrow without delays. I avoid it now. I'd say 4 hours was even optimistic for that pain in the hole airport.

consultech

Trampas wrote: »

To OP did you tell the staff that you had a separate ticket to Dublin?

When you checked your bags in at Bangkok did they say your bags will be checked through to Dublin or London?

Several times now...

- They told me on board that despite the fact I was not flying to Dublin with Etihad or BMI, I would still be taken care of by a gound staff member, along with a couple of dozen other passengers, who also had their flght details taken and radio-ed ahead.

- Separate booking, bags collected and re-checked in Heathrow.

- The pilot was doing an "Im your buddy, I wanna get us up and away" routine every 15 mins in Abu Dhabi. I also felt that the details he was sharing with us at the time were a little excessive.

Enigma'

I think when you had your conversation with the cabin crew, there may have been an assumption by cabin crew that your connecting flight from LONDON to DUBLIN was organised by Etihad,

This would be my guess too. The cabin crew most likely presumed that you were on a through-ticket, which you weren't. If it was a through-ticket, Etihad would have been responsible for getting you to DUB.

What happened was unfortunate, but neither Etihad or Aer Lingus are to blame here. It's just a risk you take when you decide to self-connect.

Enigma'

consultech wrote: »

Several times now...

- They told me on board that despite the fact I was not flying to Dublin with Etihad or BMI, I would still be taken care of by a gound staff member, along with a couple of dozen other passengers, who also had their flght details taken and radio-ed ahead.

- Separate booking, bags collected and re-checked in Heathrow.

- The pilot was doing an "Im your buddy, I wanna get us up and away" routine every 15 mins in Abu Dhabi. I also felt that the details he was sharing with us at the time were a little excessive.

But did you distinctly say that you were travelling on two separate tickets?

Just for future reference, Etihad do have an interline agreement with EI, you should always present your separate EI ticket at check-in and ask the agent to tag your bag all the way to DUB. It gives you extra protection if you miss your onward flight since the airline already has your bags tagged to DUB.