[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by maxfoods

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am a Etihad Guest Member no.XXXXXXXXXXXX in the name of AMIT LOHANA.I was on a business trip with my Business associate Mr. Puneet Gupta from New Delhi to New York.We both were booked in Business class with reference no.XXXXXX and XXXXXX respectively.

We found that the seats in your Business class from DEL to AUH were not up to the mark in comparison to other Middle eastern Airlines like Emirates.

Why didn't you buy your tickets on another airline then? The seats are the seats. Does an airline ask you at check-in "Which type of seat do you want today, sir? We have the flat sleeper, the extra cushioned almost-flat. or the Spanish Inquisition comfy chair!" All of the seats in a specific cabin are the same. They can't rip out and install custom seating for every flight based on each passenger's preference. There are plenty of resources on the web where you can research what type of seats are used by each major airline worldwide. They even have passenger reviews in som cases.

Originally Posted by maxfoods

Then we had a to sit in the flight for more than 2 hours at the Abu Dhabi airport as the New York Flight was refueling.If the flight was to be refueled then we should have been told to sit in the Lounge rather than in the plane.

This probably had more to do with immigration and customs than with airline policy and procedure. Had you left the aircraft you probably would have spent at least one of those two hours in a queue having your documents and personal belongings checked and screened. You were probably better off staying on the aircraft.

Originally Posted by maxfoods

Then to my utter shock and despair we reached JFK two hours late making me miss my connection to Miami on American airlines.There was none of you ground staff to assist us at immigration or otherwise.

That's because airline staff aren't allowed free run of the immigrations hall where foreign passengers haven't been cleared. There might be one or two representatives that meet the aircraft and direct you where to go, but that's about it. Were you expecting a personal escort for each business class passenger?

Originally Posted by maxfoods

We were told to go the the Etihad counter where the staff was not helpful and told us that nothing can be done as we were booked on American Airlines and this was there last flight in the evening.If this is the way you treat your Business class passenger then I can imagine the economy class passengers dilemma.They were rude and told us that it is not the airlines responsibility to reach on time and nothing can be done.

Were your reservations for the JFK to Miami flights under the same references you gave above or were they booked separately? I'm guessing they were probably separate. If you are ticketed on Etihad from DEL to JFK then they are only obligated to get you to JFK and not responsible for any consequences beyond that if your arrival is delayed. Likewise if you are ticketed from JFK to MIA on American they have know way of knowing if you are arriving from an international flight or are a local resident or visitor in the New York City area.

Originally Posted by maxfoods

After persuasion they offered us Hotel Vouchers for Double tree Hotel which we did not use as it felt like begging.

You made a fuss about missing the last flight to Miami so they gave you vouchers for a hotel that you basically threw back in their faces? How rude! What did you expect them to do, charter you a private jet to MIA?

Originally Posted by maxfoods

This was not the end as on our return I was booked on the 5th August but my friend was booked on 4th august.I called at least 10 times to Etihad Helpline for a seat on the 5th for my friend Mr Gupta but nothing came up.He was later downgraded to economy class on the same flight from JFK to AUH without any compensation.

If the business cabin was sold-out for 5th August what did you expect Etihad to do? Kick another confirmed passenger out of business class so your friend could have the seat? Ridiculous.

Now, the second part of this paragraph is the only part of your whole complaint that I am in agreement with. If he paid for business class for his flight on the 4th and that class was not available for the flight on the 5th then he should receive a refund of the difference. That refund often isn't automatic an he will need to contact Etihad to initiate the refund process.

Originally Posted by maxfoods

I was also not satisfied with the service in business class which Etihad boost to be the best awarded Business by World Travel Awards Middle East 2009.I requested for a chicken dinner but was told that they are short on it, I was amazed that in Business class also passengers could not get their choice of meal.I had to eat a chewy Beef Steak which was no up to the mark.

To ensure that everyone gets his or her first choice of meal the airline would have to cater one of each type of meal for every seat in the cabin. Business class usually offers at least three choices. That would mean the airline would not only waste two meals for every seat but also waste the extra fuel needed to fly those extra meals. It's not practical nor is it economical.

Originally Posted by maxfoods

The ordeal did not end here as when we arrived on Delhi airport *** continued when our luggage arrived much after the economy passengers and that too after complaining to ground staff.It took more than 45 minutes for us to get our luggage.I hope this is not how Etihad treats its Business class passengers.I would await an appropriate reply on the matter.Hope to fly soon but not on Etihad.

Are business class bags tagged differently on Etihad? If so, are the ground workers at Delhi employeed by Etihad or are they contracted employees? My guess is that they are contracted and even if business class bags are specially tagged they probably could care less. Additionally do bags coming off international flights in India undergo x-ray screening before they are sent for pickup in customs? That may explain the delay. In my opinion 45 minutes is not an excessive amount of time to wait for baggage. It's actually on the long end of average.