[Thomsonmathew]

My wife & kid were to board a flight on Aug 9th from Washington DC to Abu Dhabi and then from there to Kochi, India. Apparently everything went smooth until they were seated in the flight seat . Baby developed a unexpected temparature and the medical team assessed they need to be offloaded. It was quick and efficient but what followed next was very unprofessional. My wife and 10 month old kid were stranded in the airport with no support staff and also no assurance whatsoever on when they can board on the next flight. The general practice as i have seen in most airlines is to help the customer through this unexpected scenario by offering some sought of future dated ticket etcetera but in your case they got a cold response - ' please reach out to your agent since they booked we cant do anything'. And they all left...

We called the Etihad customer care that very midnight and they gave the very same response. Not only were my wife and kid deplaned but also treated unprofessionally with no guidance on the future course of action. And incidently we have no Etihad representative in Dulles Airport (Washington DC) to directly reach out. The customer care is very cold with their response too. Now the agent is trying to rebook the ticket and they have no information on their website to indicate why the flight ticket was cancelled - is it customer's fault or airlines decision? whatever it is shouldnt it be updated in the system? I called the customer care today asking to make an update in the system with the reason for cancellation so that i can plan the next course of action but his response shocked me - "how can I trust you on the reason why your wife & kid were off loaded? " . Literally he was asking me for proof while declining to update the system more so it should be the airlines responsibility to update the system and maintain records not the customer.

Now my wife and kid are stranded here in USA waiting for her fever ( which we checked with doctor today and was due to an ear infection ) to subside and for a ticket when they can travel. I am also scheduled to travel with Etihad in Nov while we all return together in Dec 31. Hope you understand we have things at stake here and you have a reputation to protect. I am asking for humane considerations here and urgency in solving the problems of the customer atleast close if not matching the urgency shown to offload them. I have reached out to my agent and they are saying they are helpless and want me to pay the cancellation fee (250$) + the difference for the new flight charge. I simply find this unbelievable - my wife was told while offloading that a ticket on a different date will be given without any additional charge. I am only expecting Etihad to stand up to its ethical values and positive customer care experiences i have highly heard before. I hope to hear back a positive response from Etihad Airways.

I have sent this note to "feedback@etihad.ae" <feedback@etihad.ae> but no response still. I need your help to handle this issue.

Regards,
First Time Customer.

[Thomsonmathew]

After this episode the additional cost i need to bear is $ 250 (change penalty for wife) + $ 250 (change penalty for Infant) + $210 (Fare difference fo wife) + $ 25 (difference for infant)...thats a total of $735

Instead of showing courtesy now we are asked to pay $ 735 for an unexpected event. The infant ticket itself didnt cost that much in the first place but the cancellation seems to be per person not per ticket . Infant doest even have a seat then why the additional 250$ for rebooking the infant ticket while its on the same ticket as her mother.

I really hope someone can help here.

[Etihad Representative]

Originally Posted by Thomsonmathew

After this episode the additional cost i need to bear is $ 250 (change penalty for wife) + $ 250 (change penalty for Infant) + $210 (Fare difference fo wife) + $ 25 (difference for infant)...thats a total of $735

Instead of showing courtesy now we are asked to pay $ 735 for an unexpected event. The infant ticket itself didnt cost that much in the first place but the cancellation seems to be per person not per ticket . Infant doest even have a seat then why the additional 250$ for rebooking the infant ticket while its on the same ticket as her mother.

I really hope someone can help here.

Hi Mathew,

We are very sorry to read your story and can see how difficult and frustrating this situation is for your wife and child. We apologize for any inconvenience your offloading has caused and also would like to say sorry for the way you were treated so far. We're here to help.

We would like to see if there is anything we can do for you directly, so would you kindly send us your booking reference and contact number including your country code in a private message here on the forum or to **********************, so we can have a look at this for you?

We will be in touch with you after we consult with our Booking Team and will keep you in the loop.

We hope your little one will feel better soon!

*JP

[Thomsonmathew]

Thank you Etihad for checking on my request. I hope this will finally end in a positive experience for the customer because i have seen initial responses for many posts but no conclusions to the issue at the end.

Hoping for a better resolution of the issue at hand.

[Etihad Representative]

Hi there,

We are sorry we have no update for you. Please can you DM your email address so we can lodge a formal complaint for you. A case officer will review your feedback and reply in writing within 5 days. We are unable to reply to your earlier DM. *DP

[Thomsonmathew]

Hey - I have sent a DM to your user profile and also have emailed to the etihad feedback group and socialmedia email . I have seen only an initial response on each of my email but nothing concrete and substantial yet.

I hope you can speed up the process.

regards,
thomson

[Thomsonmathew]

any updates please?

[Thomsonmathew]

Etihad team - any updates? Its more than 2 weeks no real assurance or action except for many countless delay tactics ?

Are you really looking into this case? Here is the case # again - RQID:373399

I was supposed to get a call from you and for your records I haven't yet.

Is this your customer service - to make people wait and then eventually lose all patience and thus forget the issue? problem solved ha?

All i can say is this - poor customer service continues....very disheartening!

[Etihad Representative]

Originally Posted by Thomsonmathew

Etihad team - any updates? Its more than 2 weeks no real assurance or action except for many countless delay tactics ?

Are you really looking into this case? Here is the case # again - RQID:373399

I was supposed to get a call from you and for your records I haven't yet.

Is this your customer service - to make people wait and then eventually lose all patience and thus forget the issue? problem solved ha?

All i can say is this - poor customer service continues....very disheartening!

Dear Thomson,

Sorry for the late response.

We have seen that our case officer has replied to your email address provided. Please check the junk mail also and advise if you have well received.

Thank you. *JS