[Nilufar]

Dear Sir/Madam

My boarding onto Etihad Airways EY889 from Nagoya to Abu Dhabi (and then onward to Erbil) on July 20 2012 was refused because I did not have a visa from/for Iraqi Kurdistan. This is not as silly as it seems, all of the websites and people in Iraqi Kurdistan I consulted assured me that as a South African I would be eligible for a visa on arrival at Erbil International Airport. This is fact. If I wanted to go to Baghdad or any other part of Iraq not designated as Iraqi Kurdistan I would have needed to obtain a visa from the Iraqi Embassy in Tokyo. I have no wish to travel to Mosul, Kirkuk or Baghdad and so did not need a visa from the Iraqi Embassy.

The staff quickly turned very unfriendly and accusatory with some not even looking me in the face. They laughed and made it so that I had to ask them to please keep me updated with what exactly was happening.

Given that I was refused the flight from Nagoya to Abu Dhabi, I also lost out on the flight to Erbil and all of my return flights from Iraqi Kurdistan to Japan.

I was shocked at this treatment from people who ought to be informed (the people checking my passport and ticket did not even know that ERB is the code for Erbil and they did not even know that it was in Iraq) and shocked at how quickly they did an about face and treated me like some 3rd world problem and tried to get rid of me as soon as possible.

I wish to have some clarification on why I was refused entry to my flight and why I had to endure this most horrible start to Ramadan.

Reference: 1A/5EMR8G, NH/B2SXDT, EY/5EMR8G
Ticketing Number: 607-9418715396-97

I believe this mistake is the fault of the slightly uninformed Etihad Airways staff at Nagoya Airport. Is it possible to expect a meaningful apology from this company? I keep receiving e-mails about how Etihad has won yet another service award, though I doubt these awards accord with reality.

sincerely,
NF

[Etihad Representative]

Dear Nilufar,

Sorry to hear of your plight. We will look into this for you, and get back to you shortly.

Your patience is appreciated.

Kind Regards

Cazzi B